A Match Made in Neo-Olde Tokyo
by Feriku
Summary: Simon keeps his love of the Steel Samurai a secret... until a certain spirit medium enters his life. Written for the following PWKM prompt: "Maya Fey/Simon Blackquill - While visiting Phoenix, Maya Fey meets a man who just might be cooler than the Steel Samurai. Bonus points if Taka takes an immediate liking to her (hey, she managed to charm Polly, so why not another bird?)."
1. Meeting Fey-dono

**A Match Made in Neo-Olde Tokyo**

Chapter 1: Meeting Fey-dono

Simon Blackquill was perfectly happy—or at least happier then he'd been a few months earlier, when he was scheduled to die—and if his list of friends was dismally small, at least they were good friends. He certainly didn't need to _socialize_, no matter how often Athena and Chief Prosecutor Edgeworth encouraged him to make more friends. He wouldn't even have dropped by the Wright Anything Agency if Athena wasn't on that short list, and when he learned she was out investigating a case with Justice-dono, his first inclination was to take his leave.

But Wright-dono sounded so awkward when he asked him if he would like to come in, the urge to accept was irresistible. The lawyer's horrified look when he did so was worth it.

He sat down on the couch in silence.

"Well…"

He remained silent, but inwardly snickered. Although Wright-dono was the one who proved him innocent, he looked as though he expected to be cut into pieces at any moment.

"H-how are you adjusting to life out of prison?"

"I much prefer it," Simon said.

"Yeah… I imagine you would." Wright-dono scratched the back of his head and stared at him. "Uh… are you settled in, now?"

"Yes."

"Do you always have to be so serious?" He cringed as though he regretted the question.

"Hmph." Simon leaned forward. "Your lack of perception is as great as ever, Wright-dono. In fact, Taka and I just returned from a trip."

"Oh!" Relief washed over his face. "Where did you go?"

"Away."

The lawyer slumped.

Simon couldn't help it, he burst into laughter and smacked the couch cushion. Then he stood. Tormenting Wright-dono was only amusing for a short time. Such a pity Justice-dono wasn't around.

"Please give Athena my regards."

"Of course, any time."

He opened the door , but his progress was barred by a huge box that had apparently been deposited on the Agency's doorstep during their conversation. "It seems you have a package, Wright-dono."

"What the—" The lawyer joined him at the door and stared at the box, mouth open. "What is _that_? I didn't order—oh no."

"Is there a problem?"

He groaned. "Oh, there's just this _kid_ visiting me. I bet she ordered this… probably charged it to my credit card, too."

Simon smirked. "It does not surprise me in the least that you show such lack of care when it comes to who has access to your finances."

Wright-dono ignored the jab. "MAYA!"

A door opened and a young woman stepped out. A magatama hung around her neck, and she wore a short, purple kimono. Her long black hair was tied up in a topknot and decorated with purple beads. When she saw the package, a huge grin spread across her face.

"It came!" She ran to the door and pulled the package inside. "Oh wow, I bet you can't wait, Nick!"

Wright-dono cleared his throat. "Maya, don't be rude, we have a guest. This is Prosecutor Simon Blackquill."

"Oh!" She folded her hands and bowed her head. "I'm pleased to meet you."

"This is Maya Fey, my assistant and Master of Kurain Village."

Simon's eyes widened and he bowed. "It is an honor to meet you, Fey-sama."

He could almost hear Wright-dono's jaw drop.

As for the Master of Kurain, her arms were rigid and her eyes were wide. "Oh, um, you can just call me Maya, Mr. Blackquill." She tilted her head and gave him a rather impish smile. "Or if you really want to, you can call me Mystic Maya, like Pearly does!"

He cleared his throat and regarded her with more uncertainty than he did most people. Though the Kurain Channeling Technique had a shadow cast over it, he'd never fully accepted the rumors that it was a fraud—and even if it was, the Fey clan was to be respected and honored nevertheless. What a fool he was for never realizing who young Fey-dono was. To think the girl he'd more or less disregarded _and_ the lawyer he so mocked were close enough to the Master that she referred to them as "Pearly" and "Nick" was staggering.

"You do me great honor, Mystic Maya."

Wright-dono's slack-jawed expression suggested he didn't quite understand what was going on. "Uh… Maya…"

"Oh, right!" She knelt by the package. "I have to take this back to Kurain Village, okay?"

"Why didn't you just have it shipped there?"

She looked aghast. "And risk someone else opening it by mistake?" She wrapped her arms around the box.

Appalled that Wright-dono would require the Master of Kurain to carry such a large package, Simon hurried forward. "Allow me to help."

"Don't encourage her, Pros—"

"_Silence_, Wright-dono!" He hefted the box into his arms. It was heavy, though not quite as heavy as its size suggested it might be.

"Wright-_dono_, Nick?"

"He addresses everyone that way…"

"Oh!" She folded her hands again and beamed. "Then you can call me Fey-dono!"

"Maya…"

"You continue to honor me, Fey-dono," Simon said. "I vow I will see this safely to Kurain Village. It must be something of great importance."

She nodded. "You can say that again! It's the Special Edition Boxed Set Steel Samurai and Pink Princess Deluxe Collection!"

Seven years of keeping his emotions a secret were all that kept him from dropping the box on his foot.

Wright-dono stared at her. "Maya, you already have all the episodes, and all the movies, too."

She balled her hands into fists. "But not the special features and interviews. And the boxed set also comes with figurines and signed photographs."

"Wouldn't it have been easier to just ask Mr. Powers for an autograph next time you saw him?"

"Oh, Nick, you're missing the whole point!"

Simon couldn't breathe. Either he'd misheard, or the Master of Kurain Village was a fan of the Steel Samurai. Not only that, but she and Wright-dono apparently knew Will Powers.

She turned to him. "Come on, Mr. Blackquill! Thanks for carrying that for me!"

With difficulty, he regained the ability to speak. "Farewell, Wright-dono."

"Err, good-bye. Maya, are you going to be gone long?"

"Nope, just long enough to make sure this gets safely home!"

She all but bounced out of the agency. Simon followed at a slower pace. His mind churned furiously. Ever since Aura made fun of him when he was a teenager for watching a kids' show, he didn't admit to anyone that he was a fan of the Steel Samurai. The years in prison made him even less willing to make it known that the sinister Twisted Samurai enjoyed something so light. Even his suspicion that the Chief Prosecutor was a fan couldn't get him to broach the subject.

But the woman in front of him had to be around his age, and she proclaimed her love of the show openly. And although he hated to admit it even to himself, the rapid rate of his heartbeat as he thought about what he held in his arms made it clear that he hadn't outgrown his own love of the series one little bit.

"Fey-dono?"

She turned to face him and began walking backwards, with only the occasional glance over her shoulder. "Yes?"

"May I…" He cleared his throat. If only he could speak with the same confidence he had in court. "May I impose upon you to borrow one of these DVDs in the future?"

She stopped and her jaw dropped. "Are—are you a fan of the Steel Samurai and the Pink Princess?"

"I… have a friend who would love to see them."

_Coward._

"Ooh, you should watch, too, Mr. Blackquill." She clapped her hands together and cocked her head. "In fact, instead of me going all the way to Kurain and then coming back, maybe you could hang onto them for me, just for a little while?"

He tried not to sound too eager. "Certainly, Fey-dono."

"Great! Can we go to your place right now? I mean, I want to open it, at least! And maybe we can even put a disk in and check it out?"

"Very well. It's this way." He took the lead and smirked. "Aura would be quite aggravated if she knew her DVD player will be used for the children's shows she so mocks."

"Ooh, who's Aura?"

The implication in her tone made him laugh. "My sister."

"Oh. Will she be there today?"

"No, she is currently in the clink."

"Huh? You mean she's in jail?"

"Aura… A few months ago, she took some people hostage—"

"_Oh_, now I know who you are. Nick and Pearly told me all about you."

"Did they, now?" A sideways glance showed him Fey-dono looked quite excited about the whole thing.

"Yes, from what I understand, you faced off against a ghost in the courtroom while it exploded!"

"That's…an interesting perspective…"

Her smile was almost a smirk. "And I'm not going to say Nick referred to you as 'the freaky prosecutor in handcuffs,' or anything…"

"I'm certain he did not. After all, Wright-dono prefers his head to remain attached to his body."

"Geez, violent much, Mr. Blackquill?"

But she said it with a laugh, so while he wouldn't be winning any medals for his social demeanor, at least he hadn't offended the Master of Kurain.

As they turned down the street that would take them to Aura's house, he glanced over at her again. "Is the younger Fey-dono your sister?"

"Pearly? No, she's my cousin. I have an older sister, but"—she drooped—"she was murdered."

"Fey-dono! You have my sympathies. I did not intend to upset you."

She straightened. "In a family of spirit mediums, it's not as bad as it sounds. I can see Mia whenever Pearly channels her."

"I…see."

Even with his belief in the Fey clan, it was still a shock to hear someone speak so casually about channeling the dead.

"So does Nick ever talk about me?" she asked with another smirk.

"Wright-dono and I are not close enough friends for me to have heard many stories. However, come to think of it, would you perchance be his 'special someone' your cousin often references?"

She giggled. "Oh, she never gives up, does she? Me and Nick are just friends, but she's convinced we have feelings for each other." Her levity faded. "Pearly's family was… unhappy. She just wants to see her friends in loving, lasting relationships."

"I understand," he said, but he furrowed his brow.

So, even the girl had tragedy in her past. Sometimes it seemed everyone he knew was broken.

"Mr. Blackquill? Is there a reason you look like a storm cloud?"

He shook his head. "Apologies, Fey-dono. Your comment about your cousin merely made me reflect on all the darkness in our lives."

"Come on, lighten up—we're going to watch the Steel Samurai, after all."

He snorted, but led her the final distance up to Aura's house. With great care, he set down the package, found his keys, and opened the door.

Fey-dono bounded in ahead of him, and as soon as he was inside, she shouted, "Let's open it let's open it let's open it!"

"Calm yourself." He carried the box into the living room and set it down in front of the television. Both it and the DVD player were dusty from lack of use, but at least the remote controls were right beside them. "Stand back."

She took a step back, although she looked curious.

He sized up the package, then flicked his finger. His strike neatly sliced through the packing tape.

Fey-dono's mouth was hanging open again. "Wow, that was so cool!"

He smirked.

She dropped to the ground beside the package and pulled it open. "Oooh…"

The disks were bundled together within boxes crafted to resemble the Steel Samurai and the Pink Princess. Bubble wrap surrounded the figurines. A thin cardboard case rested on top, and he assumed the autographed photos were within it.

"You're going to watch an episode with me, right, Mr. Blackquill?"

"If that is your preference."

Thank goodness she didn't have Athena's power, because his heart was almost certainly screaming, _YES, put the bloody disk in the machine already!_

"Wow, this is a lot easier than convincing Nick to watch."

Wright-dono's lack of taste was no great shock.

"Say…" She rested her hand on the side of her face as if in deep thought. "You know what would go really well with the Steel Samurai?"

"What?"

"Burgers!"

"…What?"

She grinned. "Come on, you wouldn't deny the Master of Kurain Village a burger, would you?"

"Hmph. Such psychological manipulation is quite unfair, Fey-dono."

"Aw…"

"Unless, of course, I am the one who is doing it. In which case it is absolutely acceptable."

"Hey!"

He smirked again.

She balled her hands into fists. "You're still going to order burgers, right? There's a great place near here that delivers. Do you have a piece of paper? I'll write down the number."

Without a word, he located a notepad and handed it over. She scribbled down a phone number, returned it to him, and bounded back to the box of DVDs. She pulled out the Steel Samurai case and opened it up.

"Fey-dono, you _are_ going to provide more specific directions than simply 'order burgers,' are you not?"

She blinked. "Oh. Well, I'd like mine with everything on them. Uh… maybe you should get three for each of us!" In a lower voice, she added, "Now that I'm the Master, I have to show a little more restraint, you know?"

_Restraint_ apparently meant something different to her than to the majority of the population.

"I do not think I will be having burgers." At her crestfallen expression, he said, "At least, not three."

"Better order your three just in case," she said. "You never know when you might change your mind. And if you really don't want them, I'll eat them!"

If someone had told him his afternoon would include ordering six hamburgers to eat with the Master of Kurain Village while watching the Steel Samurai, he would have laughed and instructed them to report to the nearest asylum.

The call went well, although the boy at the burger joint drew in breath audibly when told he was to deliver the order to Simon Blackquill. In retrospect, perhaps he should have said Maya Fey and left them to wonder about the deepness of "her" voice.

The Steel Samurai theme blasted out from the living room. It didn't sound right, though. The core melody was there, but its tempo was different and it was an octave lower.

"Oh wow, this is so weird!" Fey-dono knelt beside the box, her gaze fixed on the screen, which displayed an unfamiliar opening sequence.

"What is it?"

"This is the unaired original pilot episode. It was released for the first time in this collection, so I've never seen it before." She jumped to her feet. "What, who's _that_?"

A burly man glared at the screen. His eyes glowed green and his black cape flowed behind him in the wind.

"That's the Sinful Shogun," Simon said before he could catch himself. "He was the original villain seen in the pilot, but the character wasn't well-received, so he was replaced by the Evil Magistrate by the time the first episode aired."

Fey-dono stared at him.

"Or, um, so I've heard."

"Wow, Mr. Blackquill, you might know more about the Steel Samurai than even I do!" Her voice took on a more playful tone. "Probably that _friend_ of yours told you about it, huh?"

He cleared his throat and decided it was best to say nothing. He sat on the couch.

She got up and bounced onto the cushion beside him.

In general, people gave him a good deal of personal space, so he was unused to anyone but Athena and Taka sitting so close to him. It would be rude to edge away, but—

The Steel Samurai appeared on the screen, and he forgot all about Fey-dono's uncomfortable closeness.

Suddenly, he was back in time. Back before his years in prison, before he met Metis and Athena, before he even became a prosecutor. Back to when he was just a quiet kid who dreamed of chivalry and noble ideals, who never suspected what he'd become in later years.

Beside him, Fey-dono whooped and cheered the Steel Samurai on, and he suppressed a smile.

For all he was a twenty-eight year old ex-convict with a terrifying reputation, she made him feel like they were two kids watching TV after school.

_Ding-dong!_

"That must be the burgers!"

"I'll go see," he said.

The Steel Samurai marched to the town square and stood face-to-face with his enemy.

Simon hesitated.

"Oh!" Fey-dono grabbed the remote. "I'll pause it for you, so you don't miss a minute."

He cleared his throat and hurried to the door. He paid the terrified delivery boy, resisted the urge to make a crack about lopping off heads if the food wasn't to his liking, and took the burgers back to his guest.

Eagerness shone in her eyes, and she grabbed her three. He shook his head and went to the kitchen for a plate, aware that his hamburgers might be gone by the time he returned.

However, they still sat waiting for him on the couch, and he placed one on his plate as he took his seat beside Fey-dono. The other two remained on the couch between them, both as a buffer to prevent the invasion of his personal space, and as a reminder that he didn't necessarily want them.

She unpaused the DVD and started on her second burger.

Despite his misgivings, the hamburger tasted decent. Not his preferred choice of food, but good enough for what it was.

By the time the pilot ended, Fey-dono's burgers were gone, and her hungry gaze was fixed on the two between them.

He nudged them closer to her. "I have no desire to eat these, I assure you."

"Okay!" She took them and hesitated. "Does that mean I should take them with me?"

"Hmph. Despite my reputation, I am not in the habit of throwing guests out into the street."

If he was honest with himself, he was a little surprised at his own feelings. Given Fey-dono was going to leave the DVDs with him anyway, there was no practical reason to want her company…except it was enjoyable to watch with her.

His tiny list of friends might have just increased by one.

She beamed and folded her hands. "Should we watch the first episode, then?"

"Of course."

And so they did.

Partway through episode 3, Simon realized he was relaxed, which didn't often happen. And he might have accidentally uttered a tiny cheer along with Fey-dono, although he would deny it if anyone asked. Children's show or not, the Steel Samurai was the sort of harmless fun that still brought a smile to his face with its tales of good versus evil.

And not only did Fey-dono think it was natural for an adult prosecutor to love the show, but she didn't seem the least bit afraid of him, even when he lost his composure near the start of the fourth episode and snarled a vicious threat at the on-screen baddies.

Just as the end credits rolled, the theme song began to play—except it sounded much tinnier and somehow closer than was normal.

"Oh!" Fey-dono stood up and pulled out a cell phone from within her kimono. It was responsible for the delightful ringtone. "Pause it for me, will you?"

He did so, and she took a few steps away as she answered the phone. "Hello?"

Wright-dono's voice was audible. "_Maya? Where are you? I thought you said you were coming back as soon as you got the package to Kurain Village._"

"Oops." She tossed a sheepish grin toward Simon. "Sorry about that, Nick. I kinda got distracted watching the Steel Samurai with Mr. Blackquill."

"_You're seriously bothering him with that stuff?_"

"I don't know," she said, "he doesn't seem to mind."

"_Prosecutor Blackquill is a _real_ samurai, so I'm sure he doesn't—_"

The phone dropped to the ground.

"_Maya?_"

She stared at Simon, her eyes huge and her mouth wide open. "You're a WHAT?!"

* * *

_Author's note: __Yes, I'm back with another rare pairing. I hope you all have as much fun reading this story as I had writing it._

_(I also couldn't resist a nod to a certain person I know, who said, "Away" when asked where he'd gone on vacation.)_

_My friend Stein999 on Deviantart drew this wonderful cover art. Be sure to check it out to see it at its full size._


	2. Steel Samurai, Twisted Samurai

Chapter 2: Steel Samurai, Twisted Samurai

With that one sentence from Nick, Prosecutor Blackquill went from being a pretty fun guy who just needed to lighten up a little to _the coolest guy in the world._

Even his voice was cool, once she really listened to it. "I suppose the accounts given to you by Wright-dono and your cousin failed to mention my reputation as the 'Twisted Samurai'?"

She snatched up her phone from the floor, shouted, "Bye Nick, talk to you later!" and hung up. Then she returned her stare to Blackquill.

A real, live samurai. She was in his house. Watching TV with him. Eating with him. Joking around with him.

She'd made him buy her burgers!

Maya Fey was in imminent danger of her eyeballs falling from her head, but even scarier was the realization that she'd gotten a little carried away with the fun of watching the show, and the first genuine samurai she'd ever met probably thought she was a crass, loudmouthed moron who ate too much.

Think, she needed to think. The Master of Kurain had to be smart enough to smooth such a horrible situation over…right?

She bowed her head. "I hope I have not offended you with my actions, master warrior."

His response was raucous laughter, complete with him slapping the couch cushion in amusement. "There is no need for you to suddenly become formal with me, Fey-dono."

That was rich, after she'd worked him down to Fey-dono after he called her Fey-sama, bowed to her, and nearly tripped over his words when he found out who she was.

Maybe they were on equal footing after all.

"You're—you're a real samurai?"

Uncertainty flickered through his eyes for a moment. "There are many who mock me for such an assertion in today's era—though not to my face anymore—but I have always strived to live up to the ideals of the samurai of yore."

_How_ didn't she realize it on her own? Between the long black coat he wore, the way he carried himself, and the awesome way he cut through the tape on the package, everything about him said _warrior_. Even the crazy dark streaks under his eyes—it might be rude to ask about them, but she wasn't sure she'd be able to resist much longer—gave him a more dramatic, hardened, warrior image.

"That's so cool! Can you fight with a sword?"

For a moment, something like pain for sorrow flickered across his face, but it was gone so soon, she might have imagined it. "I am an adept swordsman."

His casual statement rendered her speechless, a state she was rather unused to.

While she continued to gawp at him, he lifted his finger and walked past her. She rotated so she could continue to stare, and craned her neck to see where he was going when he entered a hallway out of her line of sight. He disappeared into a room.

She paced back and forth. One second, two, three, she was going to have to go see what he was doing if he took much longer.

Just as her patience was about at an end, the door opened, and Blackquill returned.

With a katana.

A squeal escaped her, and she bounced on her heels. "Oh _wow_, that's so, so—"

"Yes, I thought you'd like it," he said with a wry smirk as he carried it over to an end table and set it down.

She reached out, but remembered enough decorum to stop with her fingers a few inches away from the blade. "Can I touch it?"

He snorted. "If I said no, I suspect you would merely wait until I turned my back, so go ahead."

The metal was cold and smooth beneath her fingertips. She eyed the hilt, and then grabbed it to lift the sword into the air.

Blackquill's eyes widened. "Fey-dono, take care you do not hurt yourself."

She winked at him. "You do have a heart!" With the katana gripped in both hands, she lifted it in a mock combat stance. It made her feel like she was about to face the Evil Magistrate.

"Hmph. I merely do not wish to explain to the Fey clan how their Master came to possess fewer limbs than she had before she left."

He was fun to tease, in part because he gave such entertaining answers. She swung the katana in a wide arc to continue her mock battle, but it wobbled. It was heavier than she expected, and her arms began to tremble. Her shoulders sagged, and Blackquill firmly took the weapon away from her.

"Did I mention that Aura will never forgive me if I get bloodstains in her carpet?"

She grinned. "You're pretty funny, Mr. Blackquill. Will you show me some awesome samurai moves?"

"You _assume_ I'm joking."

"Then how about showing me some scary, evil samurai moves, so I know how serious you are?"

He narrowed his eyes. "Back to attempting psychological manipulation, are we?"

"Maybe."

Despite the severity of his tone, a tiny smile played across his features. "Well, since you have allowed me to borrow the Special Deluxe—"

"Special Edition Boxed Set Steel Samurai and Pink Princess Deluxe Collection!"

"Indeed. In light of that, I suppose I owe you something."

Oh, he was a huge fan of the Steel Samurai, all right, and there was no way it had happened just after watching a few episodes with her. No matter how he tried to pretend otherwise, he was a longtime, diehard fan.

At least he wasn't all stuffy about it like Mr. Edgeworth was. She imagined she and Blackquill could have some long, furious debates over Steel Samurai lore.

She'd have to prepare carefully to provoke him sometime.

"Be seated, Fey-dono."

But first, a show from the Twisted Samurai! Which was an awesome nickname, even if he said it with slight bitterness in his voice. She bounded over to the couch and sat down.

He raised the blade vertically in front of him and then slashed it down in a familiar move—one they'd just seen in episode 4. She clapped, and although his facial expression was dead serious, he must have appreciated her reaction, because he transitioned into a flurry of slashes that resembled attacks used in the series.

"This is completely unsuitable for a real battle," he said when he finished. "Far too dramatic and showy, the sort of thing that appeals to the masses."

She halted her applause and glared at him. "Did you just call me 'the masses'? Not nice, picking on a girl's weight, Mr. Blackquill…"

"W-what? No, I wasn't—"

The look on his face was priceless, and she collapsed against the cushions in laughter.

"Hmph, there are few who would dare mock me while I have a blade in hand."

No wonder Nick seemed a little scared of this guy. But even though Blackquill talked like he had a few screws loose, she could tell he'd never carry out his threats. If anything, he seemed a little shy under all his snark and formality, as if he wasn't quite used to dealing with people.

Probably had to do with all that convict stuff, or maybe his appearance. If she really concentrated, she could see how he would look intimidating to people when they met him for the first time—never mind that she'd met him for the first time just a few hours earlier.

Maybe that meant he didn't give sword demonstrations to just anyone.

She straightened and grinned at him. "That was so cool. Show me more! Show me something you'd use in a real battle."

Tiny spots of color appeared in his cheeks. "Fey-dono, surely you have better things to do with your time than stare at me."

As a matter of fact, she didn't.

"C'mon, show me more!"

He shifted from foot to foot. "I rather feel like a spectacle."

"An _amazing_ spectacle." She folded her hands and bowed her head. "So show me some battle moves…especially if you'd like our agreement about the DVDs to continue."

"More attempts at manipulation already?"

"Nope, no manipulation, just a promise. If I leave without seeing more swordsmanship, those DVDs go with me." She offered him a smirk of her own. "Of course, since you don't really care, and you just wanted to show them to a friend of yours, it doesn't really matter. In fact, I guess I'll take them right—"

"_Silence!_"

The exclamation startled her into obeying.

Blackquill regarded her for a moment and then shook his head. "Very well, I'll begin by showing you a simple move…"

It worked. Apparently Steel Samurai deprivation was a powerful threat against the Twisted Samurai. She laughed so hard she couldn't breathe, but sobered when the shimmering blade flew into motion.

He was _good_.

Maya lost herself in his fluid movements and steady control of the katana. The deep cadence of his voice settled over her as he explained his forms and actions, and the tension visibly drained from him as he proceeded. Before long, everything blurred into an unending sequence of pure awesomeness.

Then her ringtone sounded and ruined it.

"Grrr, Nick…" She fished the phone out of her pocket and ignored Blackquill's smirk. She answered it. "What?"

Nick sounded exasperated. "Maya, you aren't still forcing Prosecutor Blackquill to watch that show, are you?"

"Nope, I'm watching something even better than the Steel Samurai."

"Do I even want to know?"

"I'm watching the _Twisted_ Samurai!" She grinned across the room. "I think he should have his own TV series."

With a glare he probably hoped would intimidate her, the future star set down his sword and approached her.

On the other end of the line, Nick just made a strangled noise.

"Don't worry, Nick, I'll be right back." Her stomach growled. "On second thought, maybe I should have dinner fir—"

A large hand snatched the phone away from her, and she yelped.

"Fear not, Wright-dono, I shall return Fey-dono to you."

He would? So soon?

She grabbed the phone right back, shouted another goodbye to Nick, and stared at Blackquill with all the heartbreak she could muster. "You're getting rid of me?"

"You make it sound as though you're a puppy I'm abandoning at the pound."

"I've been a bad guest, haven't I?"

He glared at her. "Do not make this out to be some sort of rejection. You've been here for hours."

She drooped.

His expression softened. "And how selfish would it be of me to keep you to myself when Wright-dono is missing you?"

"Now you're the one trying to manipulate me."

"Not at all."

Her stomach protested its neglect even louder, and she gave him a hopeful look. "Maybe we could have some more burgers and watch another episode first?"

"Think this through, Fey-dono. If I detain you for much longer, Wright-dono may deem it an insult and attack me. How could we ever explain to Trucy why her father was in pieces?"

Even though that made very little sense and he wouldn't really hurt Nick, maybe it was time she abandon the fight.

"Oh, all right." She hesitated. "Mr. Blackquill, can I ask you something?"

"Very well. And," he added, "I have no objections to you calling me 'Simon,' should you wish to."

"It's a deal if you call me 'Maya.'"

"But…you are the Master of Kurain."

"You're a _samurai_."

"I fail to see how that is at all relevant, but if you truly desire it, very well…Maya."

"See, that wasn't so hard. Simon."

He smirked. "Your question, then?"

"Oh, right." She glanced down at the floor. "You seemed pretty amazed and awed when you found out who I was…"

"As is proper."

"Yeah, proper. But you never complained about _me_ not being proper. You never said I should be more ladylike or formal or told me I wasn't acting like the Master of Kurain should."

"Just as you never told me a grown man shouldn't enjoy the Steel Samurai."

"There's nothing wrong with anyone loving the Steel Samurai!"

"And the proper behavior for the Master of Kurain is whatever she deems it to be." The corner of his mouth twitch upward. "Indeed, I now consider it a simple fact that the Master has a deep and abiding love for burgers."

Phew, that was a relief. Sometimes so many people told her how she should act, she started to worry they were right and she was the crazy one.

"Anyway, Fey-d—Maya—are you ready to leave?"

She ran forward and tackled him into a tight hug. "Yeah, thanks for everything, Mr… Simon."

He appeared frozen with shock.

"Simon?" She released him. "You okay?"

"Merely stunned that the number of humans willing to touch me is now up to three."

For once, she wasn't positive he was joking. It could explain the depressing "darkness in our lives" stuff he'd brought up earlier. Just in case, she hugged him again.

"Hmph, I see. Your hugs are a trick to force me to escort you to the door."

Now that one was definitely a joke, but she accepted his escort anyway. He walked her to the door—once she let go of him, of course—and stepped outside with her.

"Thanks so much for watching the Steel Samurai and ordering me burgers and showing me your katana."

"Thank _you_ for gracing me with your lovely company."

Heat rose to her face. Apparently he was quite the charmer when he wanted to be. "Aw, I'm not—"

_Screech!_

A shadow fell over them, and a large hawk swooped at Simon and landed on his shoulder. She yelled and jumped back, but he remained as impassive as though this sort of thing happened all the time.

"Allow me to introduce you to my friend and trusted ally, Taka."

Once again, her eyes were in danger of falling out. "You have a hawk?"

"I do not 'have' him. As I said, Taka is my friend."

Taka was also _adorable._ "I'm so pleased to meet you!" She reached forward eagerly to pet him and see if his feathers were as soft as they looked.

"Wait, Maya, don't—"

They were. She stroked and scratched the side of the bird's head, while he closed his eyes and leaned forward for more. A second later, he was in the air, and the unexpected weight of a hawk crashed onto her shoulder.

"Aww, you like me as much as I like you, don't you?" She bent her face to give Taka a small kiss on the top of his head.

Simon's expression was caught somewhere between disbelief and grudging admiration. "He normally attacks strangers who make sudden movements toward him."

"I guess I'm special."

He laughed. "You will get no argument from me there. Shall Taka and I accompany you to Wright-dono's office?"

"Sure!"

Taka remained on her shoulder for the walk back, and although Simon was quiet, he seemed content with the situation—pleased, even, though it was hard to tell.

When they reached the Wright Anything Agency, he whistled, and the hawk returned to him. "Once again, thank you for your company. Will I see you again?"

She grinned. "Of course, we've still got more episodes to watch!" Not to mention that, up close, it was painfully obvious he needed to spend more time in the sun. Once they ran out of shows to watch, he was going on some outdoor adventures with her.

After she hugged Simon again and petted Taka once more, she walked to the door, although she couldn't resist a backwards glance at the departing prosecutor. Twisted Samurai, eh?

#

"Maya? You all right?"

Pulled from her contemplation of the window and the hawk outside that didn't look like Taka no matter how much she wanted it to, she jumped and turned to face Nick. "Huh?"

"You've seemed distracted ever since you got back. Did something happen?"

"What do you mean?"

"Prosecutor Blackquill tends to give people an odd impression, but he's really a decent guy."

"I know that!" She stared at him in disbelief. "He's amazing!"

He stared back.

Warmth crept into her cheeks, and she turned back to the window. It was crazy. She'd only known the guy for a few hours. A few awesome hours, but still, she didn't know him well enough for him to be on her mind so much.

But she couldn't think about anything else. His laughter, his poorly-hidden love of the Steel Samurai, his grace and power when he wielded the katana… and of course, the bit of flattery he'd employed at the end. It all rattled around in her brain.

The worst part was that she was twenty-eight years old and had never been on a date in her life, not a real date, at least. She didn't know how to flirt. And she certainly didn't know how to interpret the actions of someone like Simon.

When he'd suggested it would be selfish of him to keep her there—was it _just_ mild manipulation to make her feel better about leaving, or was he sincere with the implication that if he was a selfish man, he would have wanted her to stay, to keep her all for himself?

_Where are you going with that thought, Maya?_

Before she could come up with an answer for herself, the door to the Agency opened, and she turned to see the two junior members on their way in.

"We're back, boss!" Athena called.

"This shouldn't be too hard of a case," Apollo said. "I think we found everything we'll need to win tomorrow."

"Good." Nick walked over to them. "What—"

She dashed past him. "You tell Nick all about the case, Apollo!" She grabbed Athena's arm and yanked her away. "We have girl business to discuss."

Apollo stared at her like he'd never see anything quite like her. Nick seemed amused, as if he knew exactly what the _girl business_ was about.

Athena looked startled, and Widget was bright yellow. "Maya, is everything all right?"

"Yes, we just need to talk." She pulled the lawyer into another room and didn't say a word until the door was closed and she was certain the boys were out of earshot. "Hey, so what kind of emotions can you hear in my heart?"

She frowned. "There's a lot of discord… Happiness, confusion, a mild amount of panic…and attraction?"

"Sounds about right."

Athena sat down. "Is this about Mr. Wright?"

"Huh?" She dropped into a seat across from her. "Has Pearly gotten to you, too? Nick is just my friend. This is about…someone else."

"Whoever he is, thinking about him seems to make you very happy."

"Well, yeah." She leaned forward. "But first, I just have to know…are you a fan of the Steel Samurai?"

Athena frowned. "Well, I've never actually watched the show—"

There was a situation they would have to fix.

"—but when I was little, Simon used to tell me about it."

"I _knew_ it! I knew he'd seen it before!"

"Wait," she said, "the person who has you in such a state is Simon?"

Maya clenched her fists. "Yeah, why?! Is something wrong with that?"

"I think that's great, actually." Athena grinned. "He could use some more friends."

"I'm surprised he doesn't have people clamoring at his door. He's amazing…"

Far too amazing to put up with much nonsense, in fact. There was only one possible course of action she could take—ply Athena with questions about him until she could keep from sticking her foot in her mouth too much the next time they met.

#

When she made it back to Kurain Village, Pearly greeted her at the door to her residence. Urgency filled her voice. "Mystic Maya! I'm so glad you're finally back!"

"Is something wrong?"

"A package came for you just a little bit ago!"

"Huh, really?"

They ran in together to see.

The "package" turned out to be an order of burgers, along with a receipt saying it was paid for in advance and a long hawk feather.

Maya grinned so much, she felt like her face was going to split open.

"What does it mean, Mystic Maya?"

"Well," she said, "I'm not positive, but I might have met my special someone."


	3. Special Someones

Chapter 3: Special Someones

Someone knocked on Simon's office door.

He glanced up from the paperwork he needed to file. The Chief Prosecutor was usually willing to communicate by sending messages via Taka, but most of his other colleagues cited fear of Taka's talons as a good enough reason to avoid that.

The knock came again.

"Enter."

If not one of his fellow prosecutors, he expected a detective or perhaps Athena—he would have guessed many people before young Pearl Fey, who marched into his office and closed the door behind her.

"Good morning, Fey-dono. Have you come from the Wright Anything Agency?"

She shook her head.

His heart skipped a beat. "Then… perhaps Mystic Maya sent you?"

After their fateful meeting, they'd met up every day, just for an hour or two, until they ran out of Steel Samurai episodes to watch. Then they watched the entirety of the Pink Princess. All the special features. The interviews. The movies. A few episodes of the Nickel Samurai included on a bonus DVD, which led to a long discussion due to Maya's clear uneasiness whenever Matt Engarde was on the screen.

And when Simon learned about her kidnapping at the hands of an assassin on Engarde's orders, he'd been too angry to speak, so he merely hugged her close and turned off the show.

In retrospect, that might have been a bad thing to do—she was fine with hugging him, but perhaps the Twisted Samurai reaching for her was a bit too alarming a sight?—as she'd packed up all of the DVDs and taken them back to Kurain Village.

Only three days had passed since then, which wasn't very long at all. Just long enough to miss those couple of hours of goofy fun. Long enough to develop the vague paranoia that maybe she thought their friendship was based on around those DVDs, and he would have to seek her out and risk learning she didn't really want to spend time with him after all.

But if she'd sent her cousin, perhaps there was nothing to worry about after all.

Fey-dono rolled up her sleeves. "She's worried about you, so I'm here to clean your office and make sure you get proper meals!"

Warmth filled his heart at the thought of such concern, but he smirked. "Please do not subject me to what Mystic Maya considers a 'proper meal.'"

"Don't worry, Mr. Simon. You won't even know I'm here."

The young woman set about tidying up his office, and while he kept his eye on her at first to make sure she wasn't going to damage anything or discard something important, he settled back into his work after a few minutes.

She remained there for the rest of the day, and indeed followed him when he crossed the street to grab a quick bite to eat, after which she resumed cleaning his office, which already had to be far more than clean enough.

By the time he was ready to leave the office, he was more than a little curious. "Fey-dono. A word with you."

She stood in front of his desk and bowed.

"What are you really here for?"

Her eyes widened. "W-what do you mean, Mr. Simon?"

"I am not a simpleton. You were not cleaning, merely pretending to do so. Whenever someone entered my office, you became very still. You were fascinated when Taka came to the window. You felt the need to dust the top of my desk when I took a phone call. You have left me with the considerable impression that I am being spied upon."

She covered her face. "I, uh, have no idea what you mean!"

"Do not lie to me," he said, although with only a fraction of the implied threat he used on reluctant witnesses.

"W-well…" She clenched her fists and gave him a defiant look. "If you're going to be Mystic Maya's special someone, I need to make sure you're good enough for her!"

"If I'm… _what_?!"

"You do love Mystic Maya, don't you? You're going to marry her someday, aren't you, Mr. Simon?"

He gaped at her. True, there was a deep longing in his heart to spend time with Maya again, but only a short time ago, they'd been strangers. "Love" was a powerful and dangerous word, not one to be tossed around idly with the woman's cousin. "Marriage" was just as strong a word, and…

"Are spirit mediums allowed to have such relationships?"

"Of course! How else—" Her voice faltered, her shoulders sagged, and she burst into tears.

_You idiot!_ Maya said her cousin was so intent on pairing her and Wright-dono because she came from an unhappy family.

"Fey-dono, I did not mean to upset you." He stood and circled the desk to stand beside her. "It would be imprudent of me to discuss such things with you without first talking to Mystic Maya—and of course, one day is hardly enough for you judge me as a suitable match."

She blinked up at him through her tears. "You mean… you're going to let me keep watching you?"

He snorted. "I have no objections."

It wasn't as if he had anything to hide. He was what he was. If she hung around his office long enough, she would see him at his worst and at his best, and if something concerned her enough to go to her cousin over it… well, ultimately it was Maya's decision.

If a relationship was really what either of them wanted.

"Then I'll see you in the morning, Mr. Simon." Fey-dono bowed, wiped her eyes, and left the office.

"Indeed."

Once he was sure she was gone, he turned to his computer and did a quick Internet search on marriages in the Fey clan. The results read like a history of divorce, due to the Kurain Channeling Technique giving the family a strict matriarchal structure.

No matter how hard he looked, though, he couldn't find anything that outright said a man in the family couldn't be a prosecutor. If he and Maya married, some of his colleagues would certainly dismiss Mrs. Blackquill as someone of little importance. He could stand to be an insignificant Mr. Fey the other half of the time.

He laughed and went to the window, where Taka joined him after a moment. "Maybe I'm finally losing it, after all…"

#

"Earth to Simon, Earth to Simon…"

He jumped and stared at Athena. "I beg your pardon?"

"What's gotten you so distracted today?"

He made a noncommittal sound and took a bite of his lunch to avoid answering. Even though it was a salad in front of him, the smell of hamburgers held his attention. He took a quick glance around the diner in case Maya was there. Not that there was any reason for her to be. In fact, it was absolutely absurd to think she would be there just because they served hamburgers.

He'd given in and gotten her phone number from Fey-dono, but when he called, he didn't want to sound clingy or lonely, so he didn't ask when he could see her again. Maya didn't bring up the topic either, just made a comment about having "plans" in store and quizzed him with some Steel Samurai trivia.

Whenever he thought about her mysterious "plans," he was torn between hope and fear that they involved him. No telling what she might think was a good idea, even if he really did want to spend more time with her. And if her plans did involve him, what role did he hold in her mind—prosecutor, Steel Samurai buddy, date, warrior, a chump easy to rope into wild schemes?

Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea to confide in Athena after all. She was a psychologist and a woman. She might be able to offer a better perspective on the matter.

"All right," he said. "There's something on my mind. I—"

"Mr. Simon!"

His head snapped around at the sound of Fey-dono's voice. Fists clenched, eyes narrowed, the young woman marched toward him from the entrance and stopped when she reached their table.

"Pearly?" Athena seemed shocked to see her so angry.

"Mr. Simon, how dare you have lunch with another woman! What about Mystic Maya?!"

A nasty retort was on the tip of his tongue, but he forced it back. Instead, he pierced her with a serious stare. "You would never try to prevent Mystic Maya from talking to Wright-dono… would you?" he added, when it occurred to him that for all he knew, she _did_ try to keep the two apart now that she didn't have the lawyer pegged as Maya's "special someone."

Her glare faltered. "W-well, no…"

"Then just consider Athena my Wright-dono."

"I… I guess I can do that…"

"And"—he leaned toward her—"he was just an example, as is Athena. I do not think Mystic Maya would be pleased with you if you try to seize control of who we can and can't talk to. _Understand_?"

She nodded, then turned and ran out of the restaurant. Either the conversation made her lose her appetite, or she'd come in solely because she was stalking him. Neither made him feel very good about the situation.

"I've never seen her so upset," Athena said, wide-eyed.

"Hmph." He speared a piece of lettuce with his fork. "She'll get over it."

"If you say so," she said, although her gaze followed the young woman through the restaurant windows until she was out of sight.

Simon ate his salad and didn't look at her. If Athena came down on her side in this absurd matter, it would be the final piece of evidence he needed to prove the world was going insane.

But when Athena spoke again, her tone wasn't accusatory or disapproving.

It was sly.

"So, you and Maya, hmm?"

His gaze snapped up. "I… yes."

"Is she why you're so distracted today?"

"Yes."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

After a long pause, he gave a short nod. "On the condition that if you laugh at me, the conversation will end."

"I won't laugh at you, Simon."

"Very well." He took another bite of his salad while he considered how to approach the matter. Direct and abrupt sounded best. "I've never…_dated_…anyone." He glared just in case she was considering laughter.

His preemptive glare fell on a contemplative expression.

He waited.

She frowned. "That's it?"

"What do you mean, 'that's it'?" He slammed his hand against the table. "People seem to assume I was some sort of Don Juan before my arrest. You should hear Gavin-dono when he goes on about some 'Fraulein' and decides to make vague insinuations with a wink in my direction, as if I'm supposed to insinuate right back at him!"

Athena covered her mouth as if to hide a smile, so at least his glare wasn't a complete waste.

He let out a huff of breath. "As juvenile as this sounds, I suppose I'm requesting advice on how to date."

"Well, from the times I've talked to Maya, I have the impression dating her might be a unique experience. Whatever happens, just—"

"Is this the part where you tell me to 'be myself'?"

Although she fell silent, Widget chirped, "Bingo!"

He snorted.

She reached out and placed her hand over his. "Would it be more helpful if I told you I don't hear anything abnormal in your heart?"

"I might take that as a stealth insult…"

"I didn't mean I was looking for something abnormal." She lifted her hand from his to swat his arm. "I _meant_ that it's normal to be a little confused at a time like this…"

A familiar screech outside disrupted the conversation. Taka landed in front of the window and waited, with a folded piece of paper held in his beak.

Simon paid for his meal and hurried out of the restaurant, with Athena on his heels. Outside, his feathered friend flew to his shoulder in an instant and leaned forward as if to hand him the paper.

"I thought this was your day off," Athena said.

"If it's important, the Chief Prosecutor can still call me in."

He took the message, unfolded it, and burst into laughter the moment he read it. It was indeed an urgent summons, though not the kind he expected.

_Master of Kurain requesting immediate rendezvous with Twisted Samurai_

Beneath the short request were the directions, and from what he knew of the city's layout, they seemed to lead to a pizzeria. A final note was scribbled at the bottom.

_P.S. It's me, Maya._

He showed the note to Athena, pulled out a pen from his coat pocket, and wrote a reply on the back.

_I am not so slow that you needed to clarify your identity._

Or did that sound too insulting? He could just not send the message, but Taka would make it there faster than him, and he didn't want to keep her wondering any longer than he had to. If only he could erase ink.

He stared at the message for a moment, then lifted his pen again to draw a tiny smiley face at the end. His ears burned as he regarded the inked-in symbol. Childish, embarrassing, a ridiculous way to show he wasn't angry and meant no offense—

But under the circumstances, absurdity was the best option. He folded up the paper and returned it to Taka, who flew off immediately without needing further instruction.

"I must cut our lunch short," he said.

"Of course." Athena laughed. "Off with you, then!"

He set off down the sidewalk, at a quicker pace than was respectable, a far slower pace than was desired.

"Simon?"

He glanced back over his shoulder.

"I think she likes you."


	4. A Samurai and a Spirit Medium

_Author's note: Would you believe it, the chapter title was too long? xD_

* * *

Chapter 4: A Samurai and a Spirit Medium Walk into a Pizzeria…

A giant metal pizza above the rooftops alerted him to his destination's proximity, and just a few turns later, the building itself came into sight. Several tables with umbrellas for shade sat just outside the doors, all unoccupied except for one. He crossed the street and paused, unable to prevent his lips from twitching with amusement.

Hawks were wonderful, noble creatures, but they weren't the sort of animal one could cuddle.

Apparently no one ever told Maya that.

Taka broke free of her arms and hopped onto the table the moment Simon came into view, apparently just as embarrassed to be caught snuggling as he would be were their positions reversed.

As if she read his mind, Maya jumped up and leaped for him. "Like a true hero, the Twisted Samurai never misses an urgent rendezvous!" She wrapped her arms around his waist.

"How in the world did you get Taka to let you hold him? Hawks don't do things like that."

"Neither do you, from what I've heard." She grinned up at him. "I must just be irresistible."

"Hmph." He disentangled himself from her and held out his arm for Taka to perch on. "So you've been listening to gossip about me, I take it?"

"Maaaybe."

"I highly doubt it was flattering."

"Don't worry, reporters are always writing nasty stories about me and my family. I know not to believe a lot of that stuff. Who cares about what gossipers say, anyway?"

"What did you hear?"

She grabbed his arm and pulled him toward the pizzeria. "C'mon, we can talk about how stupid gossip is over pizza!"

"Not burgers? You surprise me."

"Well, you didn't seem to be a big burger fan, but everyone likes pizza, right?"

He stopped to let Taka fly away.

"Wait, isn't he coming in with us?"

He smirked. "It would be quite inappropriate to take a hawk into an establishment such as this, I'm afraid."

"Inappropriate?" She laughed. "C'mon, Simon, I've heard about your trials. Since when do you care about being appropriate?"

"Hmph." He looked away, a little insulted even though she had a point. Then a comeback came to him, and he turned to her with another smirk. "I daresay I'll have enough of a task keeping _you_ from causing a ruckus."

Her jaw dropped. "Are you saying I'd cause as much trouble in a restaurant as a hawk would?"

"Not at all."

Suspicion glinted in her eyes.

"_Taka_ has impeccable manners."

"And I don't?" She punched his shoulder and followed up with another punch for each word. "Take that back! Take it back, you jerk!"

He gently snared her wrists before she could pummel him further. "Let's go inside and prove me wrong, shall we?"

She actually growled at him. "You better believe that's what we're going to do."

They entered the pizzeria with a much greater show of decorum. He opened the door for her like a gentleman, and she appeared ladylike as she walked inside.

It was a good two seconds while it lasted.

He caught Maya and pulled her back before she waltzed past the sign that told them to wait to be seated.

"But there are plenty of open seats out there!"

"We still have to wait. You know, Taka wouldn't make a fuss about waiting with me."

She huffed at him, and he laughed.

"Shall we consider Taka the winner of the manners competition, hmm?"

An evil light sparked in her eyes, and she sidled up to him. "Yeah, well, Taka would also be sitting on your shoulder."

"Do not attempt to climb onto my shoulder."

She braced herself against him as if about to jump, and when he tried to force her arms back as he had outside, she proved to be surprisingly strong. Of course, a quick slice through the air between them would probably spook her into jumping back, but so close, he could actually hurt her with such a move. Instead, he quietly wrestled her away from him, which was more difficult than he expected, until a voice signaled they were no longer alone.

"Sir, ma'am, is something the matter?"

They released one another and turned to face the waitress. "No," they both said together.

"Then allow me to show you to your table," she said, although she looked suspicious. Her gaze ran across Simon and her eyes widened, as if she realized who he was for the first time. "F-follow me."

As the waitress led them across the pizzeria, Maya leaned close. "I think she likes you, Simon. Did you see her checking you out?"

"That is absolutely _not_ what she was doing," he whispered back.

She stopped them at a table, where he pulled out a chair for Maya—who appeared delighted and a bit amazed—and then sat down himself. The waitress handed them each a menu, although she let go very quickly when Simon took his.

As soon as she was gone, Maya nodded. "Trust me, that was definitely a 'wow, he's cute' look she just gave you."

"It was not. It was an 'oh God, he's an ex-con' look."

"If you say so…" She opened up her menu.

He felt a little shaky and his mouth was dry, but he leaned forward. "Besides, I have eyes just for you."

"Wow, they have a Five-cheese Stuffed-crust Mega Pizza!"

And she had eyes just for her food.

He sat back against the chair and grumbled.

At least the place was classier than he expected for a pizzeria. Good lighting, a nice carpet, music that wasn't too grating on his ears, and a golden grandfather clock in the center of the room all gave the place a decent atmosphere. Not as nice an atmosphere as if she'd responded favorably—or at all—to his attempt at flirtation, but at least it wasn't all bad.

"What do you think, Simon? Want to order that?"

"Whatever you want is fine by me. I should let you know that you caught me in the middle of lunch, so I'm not very hungry."

"Aww…"

The waitress returned. Maya made the order for the Five-cheese-whatever pizza and asked for extra cheese. She also ordered a soda, and then the waitress turned her nervous stare to Simon.

"…I'll have a glass of water."

"Water, sir?"

"Water!"

She squeaked and jumped back. "R-right away!"

Maya frowned. "Did you have to snap at her like that?"

"She was already afraid of me, so what does it matter?"

"Well, maybe she wouldn't be if you were nicer to her."

"I doubt it."

_Thump!_

He jumped and stared at Maya. She'd slammed her hands onto the table with more ferocity than Wright-dono showed in the courtroom. "Now you see here, Mr. Simon Blackquill, we are _not_ turning this into a pity party for you, okay?"

"I was not—"

"Oh yes you were. 'Boohoo, I'm the Twisted Samurai and everyone's scared of me, I think I'll scare them some more and then feel bad for myself all day long.'"

He slammed his own hand down. "I do not sound like that!" He glared at her. "And I am not feeling bad for myself. I am quite happy, thank you."

"You better be." She frowned. "Why would you care what she thinks, anyway, even if she does think you're cute?"

"She doesn't—"

"Or are you interested after all?"

The hint of jealousy in Maya's voice was just noticeable enough to make him smirk. Perhaps she had eyes for more than just her food, after all.

"I'm not interested in her." He shook his head. "And I apologize if it seemed as though I were trying to have a 'pity party.' It won't happen again."

"Good." After a moment, she lowered her voice and said, "Gosh, that was our first fight, wasn't it?"

He stared at her.

The waitress saved him from having to respond by arriving then with Maya's soda and his water. With Maya's admonitions at the forefront of his mind, he smiled and thanked the woman.

Her return smile was somewhere between "nervous" and "panicked."

As soon as she was out of earshot, Maya leaned forward. "You're right. That was definitely an 'oh man, I'm gonna be murdered' look."

He snorted.

"Oh, that reminds me—you wanted to talk about how awful gossip is."

"No I—"

"You should hear the things people say about you!"

"I can imagine," he said.

"Don't worry. I set them straight."

"You what?"

She clenched her fists. "I said, 'Hey, the Twisted Samurai happens to be a close, personal friend of mine, so if you want to call him a dirty, murdering scumbag, you'll have to deal with me first!' They stopped."

Torn between amusement and mortification, he pinched the bridge of his nose and said nothing.

"Hmm…" She propped her chin in her palm and stared past him. "I wonder if being the Master means I can have people arrested for saying things like that in Kurain."

Amusement won.

"If you can, be sure to let _me_ prosecute them."

"Definitely."

He pounded the table as he laughed, and Maya joined his raucous laughter with a fit of giggles.

Everyone else in the room stared at them.

One quick glare with his evilest Twisted Samurai scowl made them all much more interested in their own tables, as was proper.

"Here comes the pizza!" Maya shouted.

The waiter who'd just entered the room with a pepperoni pizza shot them an annoyed look before he took it over to a table at the far side of the room.

"Oops."

Simon leaned close to her. "We better behave, or they'll kick us out."

"Nah, they won't."

"They won't?"

"If they do, you'll explain to them that I'm the Master of Kurain and that they can't just kick out someone so important." She smiled. "Right?"

"These fools might not understand."

"Then you'll just change tactics and threaten to kill them."

"Maya!"

"Aw, I'm sorry." She smirked. "I should have said you'll threaten to slice them into itty bitty pieces? Is that about right?"

"Hmph." He folded his arms. "Picking on a samurai…"

She mirrored his pose. "Hmph. Arguing with the Master…"

He smiled, he couldn't help it. Genuine smiles were still difficult for him, after seven years of pretending to be a monster, but she drew them out of him like it was the most natural thing in the world. "You know," he said, "we had best forget about that little competition I mentioned earlier."

"Huh? Why?"

"There is no longer any doubt in my mind—Taka has us _both_ beat when it comes to good manners."

She grinned. "At least you admit it. Oh! Here's the pizza, for real this time."

A different waitress brought the order over to them. Perhaps he'd traumatized the first one too much with his stab at polite behavior. Maya rubbed her hands together, and he just stared at the item deposited in the center of their table. There was a pizza in there somewhere, but the cheese appeared intent on drowning it.

"All right!" Maya scooped a large slice onto her plate and took a bite, which smeared cheese all around her mouth. She mumbled something through a mouthful of pizza.

"Let me guess," he said. "It's good, but it could use a little more cheese?"

She swallowed, wiped her mouth, and winked. "I see you know your pizza."

"No, I just know my Maya." He froze. "N-not that you're _my_ Maya…"

"Oh? You have another Maya?"

"No!"

Three things were very clear. First, she was still the leader of the Fey clan and he wasn't quite sure what she felt toward him. Second, he'd said something that could be misinterpreted very badly if one chose to do so. And third, anything more he said would just make it worse.

He grabbed a piece of pizza and bit into the cheesy mess to have an excuse for his silence.

"You know," Maya said between bites, "it might be fun to belong to a samurai."

He choked.

A devilish smile played across her face as she watched him, and curse her, she waited until he took a drink of water to add in a sly tone, "Depending on what sorts of things my samurai master commanded me to do, of course."

Once he regained the ability to breathe, he sopped up his spewed water with a napkin and said, "Kindly forget my ill-phrased remark about you."

"You sure you want me to forget it? I mean, what if you never get another chance to have a Maya?"

"_Silence._ Forget it. Now."

She cracked up and took another piece of pizza. "Okay, okay."

While they ate, he narrowed his eyes and tried to figure her out. Either she flirted in an awkward and horrifying way, or she was determined to single-handedly prove to the world that he didn't fly into a murderous rage when teased.

Not that he minded very much.

His expression softened as he watched her. One piece of that pizza was more than enough for him, thank you, but there was a good chance she'd finish the rest. It was incredible. Where did she put it all? Despite her voracious appetite, she was so slender.

He averted his gaze and stared at his plate.

Oblivious though she was to his earlier hint, she just might notice if his gaze lingered on her body for too long, and then she would be rightfully offended.

_Depending on what sorts of things my samurai master commanded me to do, of course._

That line was going to haunt his dreams. She couldn't have meant anything suggestive with it. Not a chance. He was just more twisted than he liked to admit.

The grandfather clock chimed. It was 1:00.

"Huh," Maya said. "Did you ever realize that your name can be sung to the melody of a clock chime?"

Something deep inside told him he would regret asking, but he didn't listen to it. "I…beg your pardon?"

She cleared her throat and began to sing. "Si-_mon_ Black-quill, Si-mon _Black_-quill—"

Definite regret.

"_Si_-mon Black-quill, Si-mon Black-quill!"

This couldn't possibly be happening.

"C'mon, sing it with me. Si—"

"Stop."

"But it's fun."

"Any name with four syllables will work. There is no reason for you sit here singing my name."

"But I like your name. Besides, you're wrong." She grinned. "Just try doing it with 'Athena Cykes.' It doesn't sound right."

He groaned.

"In fact, right now, I can only think of one name that works. Si-_mon_ Blackqui—"

He slid his chair around the table and covered her mouth with his hand. "Silence."

The muffled mumble against his palm sounded suspiciously like "Spoilsport."

Once again, everyone in the room was staring at them. The horrified looks on their faces were either because of Maya's song, or because they thought he was assaulting her. He let her go.

"Ooh, I thought you were going to teach me some sort of samurai restraint technique."

He smirked. "Nah, we samurai just give a warning for the first offense."

"Wait, that was just my first offense?"

"…Are you disappointed?"

She grinned. "Wouldn't you like to know."

He dragged his chair back around to his side of the table and tried very hard to shut down the part of his mind musing on how the next time she embarrassed him, he could pin her in a "samurai restraint technique" and kiss her into silence.

What he needed was a cold shower and perhaps someone to smack him upside the head a few times.

"You know what you need?" Maya asked.

His eyes widened. No way. The Feys were powerful, and they could channel the dead, but they couldn't read minds.

He hoped.

Of course, if she could read his mind, it would make things a lot easier, since she'd know what she needed to clear up—

"Sunlight."

"…What?"

"Sunlight. You're so pale, you really need to spend more time outdoors."

"I did spend seven years in prison."

"Exactly. You should be outside as possible now that you're free. That's why I got us two passes to the Steel Samurai Festival."

"The what?" He stared at her as she handed him a large ticket. Indeed, it was a pass for the Steel Samurai Festival—

—which was several hours away and lasted for three days.

Hesitance crept into Maya's voice for the first time. "Of course, you'd have to take off from work, so I'll understand if you don't want to…"

Work was important.

On the other hand, he never took any personal days. Chief Prosecutor Edgeworth did seem concerned about his lack of interpersonal skills. And a Steel Samurai event was hardly a waste of time. The only thing _less_ a waste of time was being with Maya Fey.

"I'll ask for those days off in the morning."


	5. Travel Plans

Chapter 5: Travel Plans

Talk about a dull day for a visit.

Nick was gone because Trucy expressed the need to go shopping for school, and Athena was out on an investigation for the current case. That left Apollo in charge of the office. No matter what topic Maya picked, he seemed put off by it. He also resisted her attempts to get him to order burgers, and it turned out he wasn't a Steel Samurai fan either.

If someone didn't get back soon, she'd just have to march over to the Prosecutor's Building and see what Simon was up to.

Sure, he'd probably be busy with work, but it seemed he had a much higher tolerance for nonsense than she imagined, which was good, since her ability to keep from sticking her foot in her mouth was much lower than she hoped.

On the other hand, a different ability was also lower than she hoped. Simon's ability to recognize flirting. At first, when she pretended she wanted to sit on his shoulder and he proved he wasn't reluctant to put his hands all over her, things looked promising, but it all went downhill from there. He was trained in psychology—he should have accused her of projection when she said the obviously-not-interested waitress thought he was cute. But no, he just got all grumbly about it.

"Agh!"

She looked up to see what had Apollo so startled. Taka was perched just outside the window.

Her heart pounded. He had a piece of paper clutched in his beak.

She ran to the window and opened it over the lawyer's protests. In exchange for delivering her the note, the beautiful bird got his head scratched while she read it.

_Shall I drive?_

The sound that burst from her throat was part squeal, part scream.

"Wait here," she said to Taka, and then she dashed over to Nick's desk and dug through the drawers until she found a pencil. She set down the paper and wrote a quick reply.

_I can't wait to see the Twisted Samuraimobile._

Once the message was in Taka's care and he was on his way, she closed the window and turned to the traumatized lawyer. "Hey, Apollo, I have a guy question for you."

"Okay… what?"

"If a girl asked you to go on a three-day trip with her, would you go if you weren't interested in her?"

His jaw dropped. "Uh… I really don't know. It's never come up."

She folded her arms. "Okay, suppose Athena walked in and said, 'Hey, Apollo, want to go away with me for three days?' What would you say?"

He swallowed. "You aren't trying to prepare me for something, are you?"

"No!" She glared at him. "This isn't about you, you're just the only guy here for me to ask."

The door opened, and Nick froze. "What am I walking into?"

"Apollo's being unhelpful."

Trucy bounded in. "Polly, are you causing problems for Maya?"

"No! She's just asking me weird—what is all that?"

Nick had taken a large shopping bag over to his desk, where he pulled out a bizarre assortment of objects. Springs, a can opener, a pillow, some marbles…

"I thought you were going to buy school supplies."

With a sigh, he reached into the bag and pulled out a notebook. "A school supply. Then she found other stores for us to visit."

"Stuff for my latest show," Trucy said. She leaned close to Apollo. "You're going to be my lovely assistant again, right?"

"Actually," he said, "don't you think it's about time someone else gets a turn? I'm getting tired of being sawn in half. Maybe Maya would like to do it."

"That sounds like fun!" Maya clapped her hands together. "I've never been sawn in half before." She frowned. "Wait, when is it?"

"Next Tuesday."

"Aw, that's when my trip is…"

Nick looked up. "You're going on a trip?"

She grinned. "Yep, me and Simon are going to the Steel Samurai Festival!"

Apollo's eyes widened, and he glanced between her and the window with a nervous chuckle, as if the memory of their recent visitor was a little too fresh. "Simon who?"

"How many Simons do you know?" she asked.

"Well, off-hand, I can only think of one, but I can't imagine anyone would want to—"

She let out a quiet growl. "Be careful what you say about my Twisted Samurai."

His face lost several shades of color and he gulped. "Wait, about what you said to me before… Y-you're going to spend _three days_ alone with that—with Prosecutor Blackquill?"

"Yeah, why?" She clenched her fists. "I happen to like him."

Nick just looked exasperated. "Are you trying to tell me you not only made him watch some episodes of that show, but you've talked him into going to some sort of convention about it?"

"Sure," she said, "if by 'talked him into going,' you mean I handed him a ticket and he agreed. No arguing needed."

"Oooh…" Trucy's eyes sparkled. "Someone has an admirer…"

She blushed. There was one positive view on the matter, at least.

Nick still looked troubled. "Maya, could I talk to you privately for a minute?"

"Sure."

Once they were far enough away to be out of earshot, he said, "I'm not trying to be a downer, but are you sure he wants to go?"

She gaped at him. "What are you talking about? He said yes and asked for days off and everything."

"I know, but… The way he acted when he first met you…" He trailed off.

The implication struck her like a punch to the stomach. "You… you think he's going along with it just because he respects me as the Master of Kurain?" She clenched her fists. "Shows what you know, Nick! It's definitely not that!"

It _would _explain why he put up with everything she did, though.

"Okay, okay." He held up his hands. "I just wanted to mention it."

She kept her head up high as they returned to the other room, even though part of her wanted to trudge to the nearest chair and cry over the possibility. Instead, she sat with a smile on her face and began to run through all of her interactions with Simon to try to figure him out.

She was almost done with their definitely-friendly-and-close Steel Samurai sessions, when the door opened.

"I'm back," Athena called.

"Guess who's going on a three-day trip together?" Trucy jumped up and down. "Maya and Prosecutor Blackquill!"

"Wow, really?"

If anyone knew how he really felt, she would. Maya stared at her face for any sign of uncertainty or unhappiness.

Athena flashed her a peace sign. "That's fantastic! Get him out there having a good time!"

"Prosecutor Blackquill having a good time." Apollo rubbed his forehead. "They're going to be on the news, I just know it…"

Maya glared at him and did her best to deepen her voice. "Do you have a problem with our vacation, Justice-dono?"

He yelped and frantically scanned the room. Then his gaze fell on her, and he folded his arms. "Oh, very funny."

Yes. It was. Almost funny enough to make her forget what Nick said.

#

Maya awoke to the sound of an argument. She kept her eyes closed and tried to tune out the voices, especially when she heard her name and title. Whatever it was, it was too early for her to get out of bed and mediate. Maybe the argument was about whether or not she could go on her trip, in which case it was just too bad, because she was going.

The voices faded into background noise, and she was almost asleep when one of the arguers clearly said, "_Silence!_"

Her eyes snapped open. That voice was worth getting up at any time for.

She ran to the door and poked her head out. "What's going on?"

Sister Bikini looked flustered. "Mystic Maya, this stranger marched in here and threatened to become violent if he wasn't allowed to see you."

Simon's eyes flashed. "That is _not_ what I said." The scowl on his face suggested his respect for the Fey clan no longer extended to the nun barring his path to Maya. "My words have been repeatedly misinterpreted since I arrived."

"But I recognize this man, Mystic Maya." Bikini clasped her hands together and began to shake. "I would swear I once saw him when I visited Sister Iris in prison."

"It's all right," she said. "Simon is my friend." A little too aware that she was clad only in her Steel Samurai-themed pajamas, she left the doorway to put her hand on Simon's arm. A black bag hung at his side. "And you, stop glaring like that. Sister Bikini is a part of the branch family dedicated to protecting the Master. She's only doing her job."

His scowl faded, and he turned to the terrified nun. "My apologies. Anyone who has devoted herself to protecting Mystic Maya is a friend of mine."

Bikini looked like _friend_ wasn't a word she'd apply to him any time soon, but she let out a nervous laugh. "Well, if you're sure, Mystic Maya, then I suppose it's all right."

"Come on." Maya tugged him into the house.

As soon as the door closed, he smirked. "Nice getup."

"You just wish you had pajamas like this."

"How do you know I don't?"

Her jaw dropped. "What, do you?"

He cackled.

"Do you?!"

"Hmph. Do not expect me to give up my secrets so easily."

"Jerk." She smiled. "But y'know, maybe I'll just have to do a little spying when we're on our trip."

"Indeed. That is the reason for my visit, in fact."

Her stomach lurched. Something came up and he couldn't go. Or he didn't want to go and had an excuse ready. He'd changed his mind. Maybe he didn't even like her at all. "O-oh?"

"While I'm certain you enjoy spontaneity, I prefer to plan through my activities in advance. We have many things to discuss—our departure time, where we'll meet, accommodations, and so on."

Relief washed through her. He wanted to go. He really did. "Yeah, of course, just let me get dressed, and we can talk about it." As she headed back into the bedroom, her stomach growled. "Maybe we can eat something, too."

"Ah, about that…"

Uncertainty lingered in his words, enough to make her dash back to get a look at his face. "What?"

"I took the liberty of arranging breakfast. I hope you do not feel it was presumptuous of me."

No wonder everyone thought he was off his rocker.

"For the record, getting me food is never a bad thing."

"I shall keep that in mind."

Once again, she returned to her bedroom, but paused. "Wait, so you knew you'd be here before I had a chance to eat breakfast?"

Amusement was evident in his voice. "Not necessarily, but I was confident that no matter what or when you had eaten, you would be hungry again."

"Aw, shut up!"

His low chuckle followed her as she closed the door and changed into her kimono. Crazy or not, he was amazing. Guaranteed no one at the festival would be as cool as him. It was going to be great.

#

Breakfast turned out to be some sort of square omelet for Simon—he gave her a withering stare when she called it that and said it was Tamagoyaki—and two breakfast burgers for her, all of which he retrieved in neatly wrapped packages from the mysterious bag he'd been carrying. It was actually a cooler.

Did she mention he was amazing?

"Wow! You're amazing." She clapped her hand over her mouth. Thinking it was one thing, but actually saying it out loud to him was a bit embarrassing.

He glanced away. "It was nothing."

All right, time to break the mood before things got awkward. "So you traumatized another delivery boy?"

"Hmph." He folded his arms. "What little faith you have in me. I made it myself."

"You what?" Her eyes felt about ready to pop out, which seemed to be a constant danger in Simon's presence. "You can cook? You cooked for me? You cooked _burgers_ for _me_?"

More amazing still, a little color rose to his cheeks. "It was nothing…"

Nothing, indeed. He knew how to treat a girl right—why wasn't there a line ready to fight her for him? Although, since he appeared embarrassed enough by her spoken gratitude, and since she still wasn't sure how he felt about her, it was best to resist her urge to cuddle him in thanks.

Resistance was nowhere near as fun as cuddling would have been. But at least she had food to distract her.

"Shall we discuss our itinerary, then?"

She bit through layers of burger, and bacon, and egg, and tomato. So much. So delicious. "Mmhmm."

"We'll need to leave early in the morning if we are to make it in time for the first day's events."

"Mmhmmhmhm."

He drummed his fingers against the table. "It is rude to speak with your mouth full."

She swallowed and stuck her tongue out at him. "I just wanted to tell you that we don't have to get there too early, because they're starting with Nickel Samurai stuff, and I'm not as big a fan of that."

The sudden protective glint in his eyes suggested if Engarde ever got out of prison, Shelly de Killer wasn't the only person he'd have to worry about.

"Why don't we leave at 8?" she said. "That way we'll make it in time for the memorabilia auction."

"Very well. As for accommodations, I've researched several hotels in the area—"

"Whoa, really?"

He frowned. "Is there a problem?"

"Nah, I just thought we'd be camping."

"_Camping_?" The corners of his mouth twitched. "Just because Wright-dono's income fails to allow him to procure proper lodgings does not mean it's the proper way to travel."

"But what about Taka?"

"He'll be remaining here. I've already asked Athena to check in on him from time to time."

"Aw, come on, you know you'll miss him, and it'll be a lot more fun if he's there…"

"Taka is quite intelligent, but this will be a whole new city for him. What if he gets lost? What if other birds of prey drive him out of their territory?" He slammed his hand down on the table and leaned forward. "What if an emergency forces us to depart suddenly, and we don't have time to wait for him and we have to leave without him and he'll be all alone without his friends, thinking I abandoned him?"

Hearing him babble was alarming. She put up her hands. "Whoa, steady there, Simon. Taka isn't going. I get it."

"Thank you."

His concern for Taka was precious. If Sister Bikini and some of the other spirit mediums who routinely worried about Maya not _securing the future of the Fey Clan_ ever saw that side of him, they'd trip over themselves trying to convince her he was the perfect guardian for her future successor.

"You appear deep in thought." He smirked. "Have I destroyed your hopes for a camping adventure? Very well, if you insist. One hotel room for Simon Blackquill, one tent for Maya Fey."

"No, no"—she shook her head and searched for something to say that didn't involve him and her theoretical future children—"if you're paying, a hotel room is fine."

"You don't care which hotel I pick, then? …Very well. Now, when you said this festival lasts three days, are we leaving on the third day, or will we need to stay a third night?"

"Third night. We don't want to miss the fireworks. Oh!"

"Yes?"

"On the second day, we have to go to the Samurai Dog eating contest, okay?"

"How could I deny them their champion?"

"Great!" There was nothing else she could think of he needed her input on, so she grabbed her burger. "Now, you talk, I'll eat."

He rolled his eyes, but continued to run through all of the necessary arrangements for the trip as she dug into her burgers. Sounded like he pretty much had it under control. She half-listened, half-wondered when she'd have to duel someone to keep him. Maybe she'd better ask him to give her a few sword lessons.

Nick and Apollo could take their opinions and shove off. There was only one way to handle this situation, and that was to handle it Maya-style.

#

Once Simon left and she reassured Sister Bikini that he was welcome any time—after a few visits, they'd get used to him and realize the benefits of having a samurai around—she made sure she was alone and pulled out her cell phone, along with an address book she'd gotten from Nick years earlier. She founded the correct number, dialed it, and grinned. Simon might have had most of their itinerary down, but there was one little part she planned without him.

And Mr. I'm-Not-a-Fan-I-Just-Have-This-Friend wasn't going to learn about it until it was too late.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Mr. Powers," she said. "This is Maya Fey. I don't know if you remember me, but I have a favor to ask…"


	6. Off to the Festival!

Chapter 6: Off to the Festival!

"Have a good time, Mystic Maya!"

Maya hugged Pearly. "Don't worry, I will. Try not to let everything fall to pieces without me, okay?"

She smiled, but turned a glare toward Simon. "You better not let anything happen to her."

"Rest assured, Fey-dono, I will never let her come to harm."

"And I won't let him get in trouble," Maya whispered.

"Hmph." He smirked. "As if I'm the one we need to worry about on that front."

Maya grinned. "And now… to the Twisted Samuraimobile!"

Suitcase in hand, she charged to the outskirts of Kurain Village with Simon close behind her. The black car was very sleek, perfectly suited for him, and the trunk was already open for her luggage.

He caught her wrist before she could lob her suitcase into the trunk. "Please do not throw things at my car."

"Don't worry, I won't miss my shot!"

Despite that compelling argument, he took the suitcase from her and placed it beside his. He closed the trunk, then turned to her. "Is there anything else you need to do before we go?"

"Nope."

"Are you certain they'll be all right without you?"

"Don't worry, they've managed before. Besides, Pearly is powerful enough to channel someone if they need someone with more experience. A couple of years ago, I got in an argument with one of the older spirit mediums about something, and Pearly"—her voice caught—"channeled my mother."

Simon reeled back as if struck, then moved close and wrapped his arms around her. "I was unaware your mother was dead. I'm sorry."

She leaned against him, and he obliged her by tightening his embrace. "It's…kind of complicated," she said. "And by 'complicated,' I mean it'll eventually lead to a conversation about how I was exorcised in court, so could we save it for another time?"

"…Of course. That... sounds like a rather traumatic experience. You don't ever have to talk about it if you prefer not to." He held her for a moment longer, then said, "Well, shall we be on our way?"

"Yeah!"

They got into the car, and Maya glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. He didn't seem too perturbed by what she'd said, which was good. If the exorcism didn't scare him away, maybe nothing would. And he was much better at hugging than anyone would ever expect. On a hug scale of one to ten, his were at least a seven, and they could probably rise pretty high if he cuddled a little.

It also would be nice if she didn't have to recount a painful experience to get them. Her total Simon-initiated hug count was only up to two.

She turned her attention out the window. A little crowd had gathered to see them off, with Pearly in the lead, and if her starry-eyed expression was any indication, she'd witnessed the hug.

Maya grinned. As the years passed without her and Nick getting together, she'd worried her cousin might never recover from the unhappy denial she fell into, but it looked like she'd found just the right cure.

"Something amusing?" Simon asked.

"Nah," she said. "Come on, let's go."

He turned the key in the ignition and pulled away from Kurain Village. Maya waved from the window until everyone was out of sight, and then she busied herself checking out the glove compartment, the radio, and every other button within her reach.

Especially the levers that controlled her seat.

"It is dangerous to do that while we're driving," Simon said, as she slid the seat way back and tilted it up and down. "If you would prefer to spend the next few days in the hospital instead of at the festival, we could arrange something easier."

"Aw…" She returned it to its normal position and bounced up and down. "This is so much fun. I can't believe I'm riding in the Twisted Samuraimobile!"

"It's just a car."

"Have you taken a good look at it? It's amazing."

"Of course I took a good look at it," he said, with a slight huff of breath. "Even if my money spent seven years doing nothing but earning interest, I'm not so well off that I could just buy a car without looking it over carefully."

"A cool car for a cool hero," she said. "The Twisted Samurai rides again!"

He was quiet for a moment. "…You _are_ aware that 'Twisted Samurai' is not a term of endearment, correct?" His face was impassive, but he sounded a little hurt.

Her stomach sank, and she blinked at him. "But…" Hearing that note of pain in his voice was bad, but worse was trying to remember the number of times she'd called him that since she met him. "But it's a cool name…"

"The 'Twisted Samurai,'" he said, "is a name I earned partly through seven years of pretending to be a maniac and partly through seven years of enduring prison. I would prefer it not to be a genuine part of my identity, although sometimes I worry—"

"It's a hero's name!"

"I beg your pardon?"

She closed her eyes. "In the year 2020, the dashing young prosecutor Simon Blackquill takes on the identity of the Twisted Samurai to protect the people he loves. As Blackquill, he could do nothing against the force that opposed him, but as the Twisted Samurai, he can vanquish evil and ensure the innocent remain unharmed." She smiled at him. "See?"

Simon shook his head. "That is quite a fanciful and romanticized interpretation of my stint in the clink. However, if that's really how you see it…" He smirked. "Very well. I'll be your Twisted Samurai."

"Really? But…if it's painful or insulting to you, I can stop…"

"I must admit, it feels odd to say this, but somehow it's flattering the way you described it. I'm touched." He snickered. "Or perhaps I'm just touched in the head," he said—

—at the same that she asked, "Touched in the head?"

They exchanged glances.

"Hmph. It appears my insanity is contagious. Last chance to turn around. After three days, there may be no hope for you."

"Nope." She grinned. "You aren't getting out of taking me to the Steel Samurai Festival that easily."

He laughed. "In that case, Twisted Samuraimobile, full speed ahead."

"I think you got it wrong," she said, as they approached the highway. "I'm not catching your insanity. You're catching mine."

#

"So, when do I get a turn at the helm, captain?"

Simon glanced at her. "Can you drive?"

"That's what I just asked!"

"…Do you have a license?"

"Uh… we could sorta prete—"

"No."

"Aw…"

"However, I do intend to make a rest stop shortly." He smirked. "Sadly, the only convenient place I was able to locate along the way is a fast food restaurant. Should I plan on making an order?"

She grinned. "Sure, just a snack to hold me over."

"A snack?"

"Like maybe a burger and some fries and a milkshake!"

"Ah yes, a snack. Quite different from a full meal. I suppose the distinguishing factor is that you only want one hamburger?"

"See, you're starting to understand me."

"I cannot remember when a thought last filled me with such terror," he said, with a teasing wink in her direction.

He left the highway and pulled off into the fast food joint. Once he parked, she hopped out of the car and ran inside. She stopped just inside the doorway. Everything smelled delicious. The list of items she wanted to order grew the longer she stood there, and the long line of people at the counter apparently agreed.

Maybe she ought to restrain herself, though. After all, Simon was paying.

She went into the bathroom and wrestled with the conundrum of how much money he could spend on her before she felt guilty. He paid for her hotel room, took care of the car, promised to get her a snack—she'd bought the tickets, but other than that, she wasn't sure what her contribution to the trip was.

When she left, she scanned the room to see if he was out. He stood at the counter already. The line was gone. If she was going to change her order, she'd have to do it fast. She bit her lip in indecision—and her gaze fell on something that put food out of her mind, a rather rare occurrence.

It was a clear plastic globe, taller than her and many times wider, placed between two of the booths. Hundreds of red balls bounced around inside. No matter how many times they hit the sides or each other, they didn't slow. On and on and on… It was hypnotic, and fascinating, and something she had to learn how worked.

She circled around it. There had to be a mechanism inside to keep them going. She could see some spaces where it would come apart, and a panel… and a tab, clearly meant to be pulled. Maybe it made them go faster. She reached out and pulled it.

Nothing happened.

Maybe she hadn't pulled hard enough. No one was around, so she grabbed the tab again and gave it a sharp yank.

It came free in her hand. The machine creaked and shuddered, and the globe split into two pieces. All of the hundreds of red bouncing balls bounced their way out of the globe into the room and toward her, with a horrible din as they pounded against the floor. People around the room stood up from their tables and stared.

Maya yelped and tried to race away from the mass of red, to get somewhere where she could look just as confused and mystified as everyone else, but the balls got beneath her shoes, and she tumbled to the ground.

She scrambled to her feet, but before she could make her escape, a beefy, red-faced man marched over to her.

"What did you do?"

"It was an accident!"

"Do you know how long it took me to set that up?"

No, but thanks to his proximity, she knew whatever he'd been eating recently wasn't something she intended to order. Her nose wrinkled involuntarily, and she backed up.

"Don't you walk away from me!" He grabbed her arm hard enough to bruise.

"Ow!"

"You broke it!" His nails dug through her sleeve into her skin with each word. "What are you doing to do about it?"

"You're hurting me!"

"I asked what you're going to do to fix this, you little—"

"SILENCE!"

All noise in the room ceased, except for the continued pitter-patter of a few stray balls, and the harsh sound of Simon's footsteps as he all but flew across the room to them.

His eyes blazed. "Let go of her _now_."

Six feet two inches of angry Twisted Samurai had a way of changing people's minds. The man dropped Maya's arm.

"But what about my machine?" he asked.

She rubbed the spot where his fingers had been. "It was an accident…"

Simon wrapped his arm around her and pulled her to his side. "She says it was an accident." His eyes flashed. "I suggest you leave it at that."

Geez, he could look _scary_ when he wanted to. And at that moment, he apparently wanted to very much. All to protect her, like a true samurai should. She lowered her gaze so he wouldn't see the adoration in her eyes.

The man met Simon's gaze for about five more seconds, then muttered something under his breath and started to pick up the scattered balls.

Simon kept his arm around her as they left, and he stopped only to pick up his order. Outside in the parking lot, he turned to her. "Are you all right?"

"It was an accident," she said.

"I know." He gave her a gentle squeeze. "I heard some commotion as I was paying, and I just knew I'd see you in the middle of whatever it was."

She tried to smile, but her lip trembled.

His smirk faded, and concern shone in his eyes all the way to the car.

Once she was back in her seat, she rubbed her arm again.

"Did he hurt you?"

"Just a little…" She rolled up her sleeve and stared at the ugly bruise already starting to form, and the indentations from where his nails dug in.

Simon snarled.

"Please…" She turned to him. "Please don't go back in there or try to press charges or anything… I just want to go to the festival and forget about this. Please?"

The anger left his face, and he placed his hand on her shoulder. "Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Very well. But first, may I look at your arm to make sure you weren't actually cut?"

"Yeah, of course." She held out her arm.

"And"—he lifted the bundle he'd collected before they left—"don't forget about your snack."

"You sure know how to make a girl feel better." She accepted the food with a genuine smile. "Thank you, Simon. For everything."

"Think nothing of it."

#

"There it is!" Maya strained in her seatbelt to try to see more of the festival. A huge, inflatable Steel Samurai floated in the distance. "We're here, we're here!"

Simon's expression was impassive, but he couldn't fool her—he was just as excited as she was. And she'd get her proof soon enough.

The hotel was beautiful. As he parked, she rolled down the window and stuck her head out to get a better view. Hundreds of windows rose high into the sky, and a marble archway framed the grand doors at the front. From the look of it, either Simon liked to rest in luxury, or—her heartbeat quickened—he wanted the best for her.

"Hmph. It's just a hotel. Enough gawking." He opened his door and hurried around to open hers before she could move.

She giggled.

He raised his eyebrows. "Have I done something to amuse you, Maya?"

"It's just the way you try to be all cold and dismissive, then you rush to be a gentleman."

"Would you prefer I quit one or the other?" he asked with a snort.

"Nope." She took his arm and stepped out of the car. Not that she needed help. His arm just felt so good beneath her fingers. "The Twisted Samurai is perfect exactly the way he is."

A little bit of color entered his cheeks, and he glanced away. "You are quite delusional."

"Hey, I speak as the Master of Kurain, remember? Whatever happened to all that respect you had for me?"

"I…I still respect you, Fey-sama!"

Oh no, they were _not_ going back to that.

"Good," she said. "Then call me Maya and believe me when I tell you how awesome you are, all right?"

He chuckled. "Whatever you say, Maya."

With that settled, it was time to get their luggage and go inside. There was just one problem. Her hand was still on his arm. She would have to move it if she wanted to go to the trunk. It had already lingered there longer than was necessary, but still, he didn't seem to want her to let go, and if he didn't mind, she didn't either. Many possibilities were available as long as her hand was on his arm. For example, instead of going to the trunk to retrieve her suitcase, she could slide her hand up to his shoulder, and then to his neck, and then to his hair, and kiss him.

Then they could wildly make out in the parking lot.

On second thought, maybe it was better to get her suitcase. While wildly making out with Simon sounded like a lot of fun, it would be even more fun if it was at a time that wouldn't make them late for the Steel Samurai Festival.

She let go of him and bopped around to the back of the car, where she waited by the trunk. Maybe if she didn't do anything right away, he'd be a gentleman again and carry her luggage for her.

His lips were downturned in a slight frown, but it faded almost immediately. He picked up both suitcases.

Maya grinned and closed the trunk. Things were off to a good start.

The lobby of the hotel was just as beautiful as the outside, and once they checked in and he carried her suitcase into her room for her, she was convinced he was either a big show-off, or he really did want things to be special for her. Sure, his room was just as nice, but he could've gotten something cheap and small for her if he wanted.

When he left, she closed the door and peered through the peephole to make sure he wasn't in the hall about to knock. Good. She got a running start, jumped on the bed, and bounced up and down on the thick mattress. It was probably unladylike, and he'd probably snicker if he saw it, but it was fun.

Even better, a menu by the TV listed everything that was available through room service. Her mouth watered. The trip was going to be great to begin with, but this just made it amazing. It was enough to make the unpleasant incident along the way not even worth thinking about.

Actually, a couple of parts were worth thinking about. Like how Simon ran to her rescue. And how he still remembered to pick up the food he'd promised her. And how warm and gentle his hands were against her arm when he examined her injury, which turned out to be no worse than a bad bruise and a little swelling. She shivered. A tiny part of her had hoped he'd kiss it to make it better, which of course he didn't do, but the way his fingers ghosted across her skin was almost as good.

When she told Pearly she thought Simon might be her special someone, she wasn't certain. It was just a possibility born from attraction and that first fun afternoon.

But more and more, it became less a wild thought and more a desperate hope.

A rap at the door pulled her from her thoughts. "Are you ready?" Simon called.

More ready than he knew.


	7. The Steel Samurai Festival

Chapter 7: The Steel Samurai Festival

There was no longer any doubt that Simon was losing his mind. When they arrived at the hotel, he'd been certain for a moment that Maya was going to kiss him. She didn't, of course. All her excitement was about the Steel Samurai Festival, not about him.

But, if he was going crazy, at least he was in good company. Maya kept chuckling under her breath, and although she insisted nothing was funny, her amusement appeared to grow the closer they got to the festival area.

The parking lot was packed, but he found a parking space after just a little muttering. When he parked and got out to open Maya's door for her, her comment about him being _perfect_ flashed through his mind. Yes, she was crazy, all right, and he wouldn't have her any other way. Once again, she took his arm as she climbed out of the car, and once again, her hand lingered longer than it needed to.

Then her touch tightened, and she yanked him forward. "Come on, let's go to the auction!"

"I am perfectly capable of walking," he said, as she dragged him out of the parking lot.

The minute she no longer had to carry a samurai along, she broke into a run. He increased his pace to keep up with her. Her exuberance was admirable, and he was excited for the festival, too, but their first event was the memorabilia auction. There was no need to race.

On the other hand, there was something appealing about just running through the streets with her. It was the exact opposite of being confined to a cell and only let out under close guard. Maybe she had a point when she said he needed to get outside more. They hadn't even made it to the festival proper yet, but he was…having fun?

Colorful signs marked the entrance to the festival grounds, a temporary wooden gate with a ticket-taker's booth blocked off access from the street—

—and Will Powers stood just outside the gate.

The Steel Samurai himself.

Simon's steps slowed to the point where Maya had to drag him along again, but he barely noticed. Of course, it was a Steel Samurai event, it made sense Will Powers would be there. And Maya knew him. Maybe she would introduce them.

Powers waved.

Maya waved right back. "Hi, Mr. Powers!" She dragged Simon the final few feet to reach him. "This is my friend Prosecutor Blackquill."

"How do you do?"

Simon stared at the extended hand—the Steel Samurai wanted to shake his hand!—and remembered what a handshake was just in time to keep it from becoming awkward.

"Nick and I defended Mr. Powers in court once," Maya said. "We've stayed in touch over the years."

_Say something. You're Simon Blackquill. You always have something to say._

Simon just nodded. He had things to say all right, but what he truly needed was something to say that wouldn't make him sound like a childish, giddy idiot. Something befitting the hardened prosecutor he was, not the quiet teenager he'd once been.

"Are you a fan of the Steel Samurai?" Powers asked.

"Oh no," Maya said, before he could do more than open his mouth to speak.

No, no, no, he should never have lied to her about it, because she thought— No, she didn't. The evil glimmer in her eyes proved she knew very well he'd lied, and she was doing this on purpose.

"He has a friend who was a fan, but he never really watched the show himself," she said. "He probably didn't even know who you—"

"Silence!" Simon shot a furious glare in her direction, the sort of look which normally made people hide but just sent her into a fit of laughter, and then he turned his attention back to Powers. "Ignore her. I've watched every episode, when I was younger I sought out every detail about the show, and it is truly an honor to meet you. May… May I have your…"

He didn't have anything with him to get autographed.

"You were a fan before you met me?" Maya placed her hand over her heart. "But why would you lie about something like that, Simon?"

As if he could say he was embarrassed to be a fan right in front of the starring actor.

"Simon?" Powers frowned. "But…"

"Yeah, it's for him," she said. "Go on, give it to him."

Simon glanced between the two of them.

Powers reached into his pocket and pulled out a photograph of himself in his Steel Samurai costume. He handed it over. It was signed, and addressed personally to "Simon."

"Thanks for everything," Maya said. "We're off to the auction now, Mr. Powers. See you around!"

"I'll be performing in the stage show tonight."

"We'll definitely be there."

Powers said farewell and walked away. Apparently he wasn't at the gate for any official function, then. Just to torment a certain samurai.

They showed their passes at the booth. As soon as they were through the gate, Simon placed his hands on Maya's shoulders and squeezed the muscles between her shoulders and neck. She let out a squeak, but stopped walking.

He lowered his mouth to her ear. "I'm going to get you for that."

She twisted free of his grip and turned to face him. "Aw, now if it hadn't been for me, you wouldn't have gotten to meet Mr. Powers and get his autograph."

"But your main goal was to embarrass me, was it not?"

"Maybe. But you still got his autograph."

"Hmph. I suppose you're right."

"Don't worry, I'll be extra special good from now on. It's safer that way, huh?"

Safe… If he actually scared Maya with his antics…

Few thoughts were as painful as that. "You know my comments were made in jest, correct?"

"Aw, really? I was looking forward to that samurai vengeance." She grinned and darted in the direction indicated by a sign for the auction. "Come on, before all the good stuff is already bought!"

Well, that seemed like a yes. He smirked and followed.

#

Maya clearly thought the auction went well, and whenever he looked at her glowing face, Simon had to agree. Only his wallet and pride were less than pleased with how it turned out. What she'd been after wasn't memorabilia in the strict sense of the word. It was an old VHS tape that contained all the original takes from some of the key episodes of the Steel Samurai.

When it went up for auction, she'd alternated between bidding and checking the money in her wallet. And when the moment came where she counted her money several times in a row and didn't offer a new bid when the auctioneer asked, her face fell and her shoulders slumped and her lip trembled, and Simon heard himself shouting out a bid.

And after _that_, she stared at him with her mouth open in shock and tears in her eyes, so he couldn't let her down. Few people in the auction seemed anxious to bid against him, and he might have slipped a little deeper into his Twisted Samurai persona than was proper. Even then, though, one person was willing to risk whatever sick fate he had in store for them, and the price of the tape reached an absurd height.

Too high for a sane person to bid on.

As they left the auction area behind, Maya hugged the tape to her chest and gave him a radiant smile.

It was worth every penny.

#

Once the tape and his autographed photo were locked away in the hotel, they returned to the festival and he tried not to read too much into the adoring looks Maya showered him with. It was just because he bought the tape for her. She considered him a friend. Nothing more. Maybe.

There were two easy ways to find out. First, he could ask her. If that was too embarrassing, he could kiss her. Either one would necessitate a discussion of the issue.

But he didn't want his feelings out in the open if she didn't return them.

Instead of raising awkward questions or kissing those smiling lips, he just said, "Where to next?"

"Let's eat!"

Of course.

She led the way to a street lined up and down with food vendors. The smell of food filled the air. Paradise for her, of course. Even he had to admit some of it smelled good.

Maya made a beeline for a hamburger stand, but he caught her arm. "I'll be over there," he said, with a nod in the direction of the stand he'd noticed. "I'm going to get some ramen."

Her eyes became huge. "I love ramen…" She stared at the stand, then toward the burgers. Quite a conundrum, apparently.

"Oh please," he said. "Do not attempt to convince me that you only have room for one."

She blushed. "Let's go get that ramen, and then I'll have a burger after that."

"_A_ burger?"

"Yeah, a burger, singular—I've gotta show some restraint, you know?"

He'd believe it when he saw it.

When they reached the line, several people glanced back at them, which of course triggered a few whispers about the Dark Age of the Law and the Twisted Samurai. Some of the whisperers decided they didn't want ramen after all. No doubt they didn't believe the verdict of his retrial. He glared at them for good measure.

Maya's shoulders slumped as they moved up to their new place in line. "People recognize you out here?"

"It isn't such a great distance for news not to spread, particularly since my case was high-profile despite the government's attempts to cover up the truth." He shook his head. "I daresay my reputation is known throughout the country—in fact, more people are probably aware of me as a murderer than of the ultimate conclusion to the case."

"Aw… I was hoping you could just be yourself without worrying about anything like that…"

He smirked. "Haven't we established both that 'being myself' tends to frighten people away more often than not _and_ that I care very little about what others think of me?"

"Oh yeah, and no more pity parties." She cocked her head. "You actually enjoy scaring people, don't you?"

He frowned. In court, he certainly went out of his way to frighten witnesses and his opponents, but it was just a part of his style. A seven-year habit was hard to break. The way he seemed to terrify people just by breathing was quite unpleasant. On the other hand, though… he had to admit it gave him twisted glee to make someone squirm when he did it on purpose.

"Perhaps," he said. "Not you, though."

"Oh, come on." She grinned. "We're not talking long-term fear here, Simon, just little scares. You're trying to tell me you wouldn't think it was fun to jump out from behind something to make me scream, or just torment me a little bit? Honestly, now."

"No, of course—" He hesitated. Horrible though it was, the thought sent a thrill through him. "Just a little bit?"

"Just a little bit."

When he spoke, he kept his voice very quiet. "…Perhaps."

She burst out laughing. "Why are you giving me that look like I'm going to hit you or something? So you'd enjoy scaring me every now and then. Maybe I'd _like_ that."

"You would?"

"Yeah, like watching a horror movie!"

A low chuckle escaped him despite his attempt to look serious. "Well, there's a lovely comparison. 'Oh, Simon, spending time with you is like watching a horror movie.'"

She smacked his arm. "That's not what I said!"

"And look, see, you just hit me."

"Grr…" She clenched her fists and opened her mouth, but then she glanced around and her anger faded. "Uh… Is it just me, or did the line become even smaller all of a sudden?"

It had, and not just from people at the front of the line getting their ramen. Their argument was apparently enough to scare away even more people.

"What do they think I'm going to do," he said, "murder them because you hit me?"

Three more people hurried out of the line.

"Hey, come back here, you jerks!" Maya shouted, but none of them paid any attention.

"This is the sort of thing you'll have to put up with if you spend time with me," he said.

"Don't worry. I'll do something embarrassing soon to make you remember that you're getting the short end of the stick in this relationship."

"Hmph. Never. However, for efficiency's sake—and to prevent further conversations which might completely derail the business of this poor stand—perhaps you should go get in line for your burgers, and I'll get the ramen for both of us."

"Okay! And," she added, before she left, "it's burger, singular."

Perhaps she really was serious about that. She might even do it to make a point, since he'd expressed his disbelief. He would have to take care to buy something she'd enjoy, in case she resolved to only eat one burger even if she was hungry. Well, he'd find the perfect ramen dish for her. Nothing remotely connected to vegetables—she didn't seem to be keen on those.

Several options on the menu might be a good fit…

There.

At the very bottom of the menu, something called a "ramen burger" was listed.

He grinned. Perfect. He was still grinning when he reached the front of the line and realized he hadn't even thought about what he wanted to eat. Not a ramen burger, of that he was certain.

Anything would do. He just wanted to see the look on Maya's face when she learned about ramen burgers. He only half paid attention as he made his order, because he already wanted to be with her again.

He carried the two bowls into the street and headed in the direction of the hamburger stand. There was at least one good thing about the unintentional terror he sparked in people. They gave him such a wide berth he didn't have to worry about anyone knocking him over and spilling the noodles. Even better, Maya would never have trouble spotting him in a crowd.

And with her purple kimono, he had no trouble spotting her near the middle of a long line. She looked frustrated.

He moved just close enough to catch her eye, and held up the two bowls to indicate his success. Poor Maya, stuck in such a long line to get her burgers. The street was becoming more packed by the minute, and many of them were adults. There was a chance they were all there with their children, but if not, perhaps he and Maya weren't the only Steel Samurai fans well outside of the target demographic.

"Simon!" Maya waved to him from the line and beckoned. "Come here!"

Her tone indicated an unspoken _right now_. Something was wrong. He sprinted for the line, which caused a great number of people around her to scatter. The line thinned.

"What's wrong?"

"Thanks!" She hurried up closer to the front of the line.

She had to be kidding. He followed and fixed her with his evilest glare, which as usual, had no effect. "Did you really just call me over here to frighten people out of line?"

"Yep."

"Maya! You made it sound as though it was an emergency."

"It was! I'm starving!"

"And this is fair to the people who were in line ahead of you, who no doubt were also hungry?"

"If they're stupid enough to run away just because the big, bad Twisted Samurai charged them, they don't deserve burgers."

"So you're using me to get food faster."

"Hey, we both win. I get to move up in line, and you get to scare people, which we've already agreed you enjoy."

"I—"

"You're the best, Simon!" She stretched up on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek.

All of his objections faded away into nothing. He backed away from the line. The steaming bowls of ramen in his hands were nowhere near as hot as his cheek. He could still feel her warm lips against his skin.

A light, indescribable, uniquely Maya scent lingered around him. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply.

She must never have been interested in Wright-dono at all. It was the only explanation for why young Fey-dono's attempts to pair them failed. Surely anyone with any intelligence, even Wright-dono, would jump at the chance to be with Maya Fey.

The scent returned, closer, and he opened his eyes to smile at her. She carried a plate which indeed contained a burger, singular. He handed her the bowl with the ramen burger in it.

Her eyes bugged out, and the sight was just as amusing and adorable as he'd expected. "What… what is that?"

"Hmph. Have you never discovered the mysterious ramen burger before?"

"What? No… This is amazing! I already want seconds!"

"You haven't even taken a bite yet."

"I don't care, I'm already hungry for more!"

He held his bowl in one hand and placed his other hand on her shoulder. "Then let us go eat these, and we can decide from there what more we want."

"I saw some picnic tables. Let's go!"

She took off down the street, and once again, he found himself running after her.

Three tall trees shaded the grass area where the picnic tables sat. All five of them were empty, so at least he didn't scare anyone out of their seats. Maya dropped onto the nearest bench, set down her food on the table, and dug in.

He sat across from her and ate. As usual, she ate at an alarming rate, and once she'd devoured her burger and started in on the ramen burger, he lifted his finger and slipped away to get seconds of each for her.

Despite her earlier claim that she was going to show restraint, she favored him with a huge grin when he returned with the food.

He finished his ramen in short order, and then there was nothing to do except sit there as Maya ate. It wasn't a boring task. As ridiculous as it sounded, it was enjoyable to watch her shovel food into her mouth. She was so carefree and lighthearted. She had food, the food was good, and everything was right with the world.

Without really thinking about it, he leaned across the table and watched her hungrily, as if he could absorb some of her happiness by proximity.

She blinked and froze with her hamburger partway to her mouth.

How could he explain it to her? She was so bright and happy, the complete opposite of the darkness that dominated his life for so long. Just her presence filled in the void and warmed the cold inside of him.

Footsteps alerted him to the presence of two men, security guards by their uniforms. They approached the table with suspicious looks on their faces. For him, of course. No one would be suspicious of the happy woman with the burgers, just of the black-clad man staring at her.

And even if Maya was right about the amusement he got from scaring people, it hurt.

"Ma'am, is he giving you trouble?" one guard asked.

Simon glared at them both.

"Yeah!"

Oh no.

"I think he wants to eat my burger!"

It was a very bad time to burst into laughter, so he refrained from slapping the table and tried to keep the smirk on his face from becoming too huge. Oh Maya, Maya, Maya…the security guards were not concerned about her hamburger.

Her innocent accusation and his smirk did nothing for their opinion of him, as both guards turned dark stares to him.

"Hey…" Maya jumped out of her seat and circled the table. A second later, her arms wrapped around him in a protective embrace. "Why are you looking at my Simon that way?" She rested her chin on top of his head. "The burger debate is between us, okay?"

Well, it could have been worse. At least she didn't try to start a fight with them for thinking he was a dirty, murdering scumbag. He placed his hands over hers and closed his eyes to just enjoy her touch.

"Very sorry, ma'am, we thought—"

"Yeah, I know what you thought! But he's my own personal Twisted Samurai, so back off!"

Their footsteps retreated, and Simon opened his eyes. "Awfully possessive today, aren't we?"

"Don't forget, you turned down your chance to have a Maya." She winked and slid down to sit on the bench beside him. "That means I have my own samurai."

"Oh, was that the deal?" He smirked again. "And what does that entail?"

"Well… My samurai scares people for me, and comes running if he thinks I need help. He makes sure I'm never hungry, and he does everything in his power to make me happy."

Heat entered Simon's cheeks. Her embarrassing assessment actually sounded pretty accurate. He reached out and touched her chin. "Any negatives?"

"Only one."

"What is it?"

"I…" Her voice sounded very small. "Simon, are you happy?"

"Whatever do you mean? I'm enjoying my time here."

"But are you _happy_?" She glanced down at her hands. "So far, I feel like this trip has been all about me. Getting me out of trouble, helping me at the auction, buying me food…"

"It makes me happy to do these things."

"It does? Then are you having fun?" An evil look passed over her face. "You know, it would really be a lot easier if you smiled more. I think you should smile."

"I—"

And that was as far as he got before she started tickling him.

"Ack! Maya!"

"Ooh…" Her hands seemed to cover his entire body at once in a quest for his most sensitive spots. "Don't tell me the very scary Twisted Samurai is ticklish!"

He scrambled backward across the bench to get away from her, which only seemed to excite her more. She jumped on him and knocked him off of the bench and onto his back.

"Oof…"

Her voice took on a teasing, sing-song tone. "That's not a smile, Simon… You _are_ ticklish, aren't you?"

"Hmph. I'm merely trying to keep you from appearing fooli—"

She tickled him with renewed vigor. He gave up and laughed helplessly as her fingers raced from his stomach to his underarms and back again.

Eventually—too soon, although he wouldn't admit it to anyone—she stopped and folded her hands with a self-satisfied smile. "Mission accomp—eek!"

He caught her wrists and pinned her down. "This time I really will get my revenge."

"Ooh, I'm so sca—oh no, no, Simon!"

Just the stroke of his fingers against her side drew a hysterical shriek out of her. Apparently she was the ticklish one. And with her arms trapped firmly beneath his hand, there was little she could do to shield herself as he repaid her treatment in kind. He grinned. If only he had a feather with him. Then she would really learn what tickling really was.

Between gasps of laughter, she tried to choke out something, so he relented long enough for her to catch her breath.

"That smile…" Even though he wasn't tickling her, she laughed even harder. "That _smile_, Simon! Only you could look so sinister at a time like this."

"Sinister?"

"And very, very evil." She giggled. "Don't pout because I said that, you goofy samurai. I like it."

In that case… He resumed tickling her with single-minded determination, until she lay pink-faced and breathless on the ground. He didn't dare look around, in case they'd attracted an entire security team, so he focused on the beautiful woman in front of him. Happiness shone in her eyes.

She crooked a finger and beckoned him closer, so he bent toward her. Her breath was hot against his ear. "Can you imagine what people back home would say if they knew a prosecutor and the Master of Kurain were rolling around on the grass beside a picnic table?"

"I imagine the reporters would have a field day with it. Everyone else would just take anything in stride after learning we were at a Steel Samurai event."

She jumped up so quickly her forehead smacked into his chin and sent a jolt through him. "What time is it? We're not missing the stage show, are we?"

He clambered to his feet. "The show is this evening. Believe it or not, I wasn't tickling you for that long."

"Huh. It felt like an eternity."

"Hmph." He squeezed her shoulders. "A little like being in Hell, is that what you're saying?"

"Heaven."

"Liar."

"Aw, don't be humble at a time like this, you're supposed to be all, 'Of course, I am the great Simon Blackquill with the angelic fingers,' or something."

"With the _what_?"

"I don't know, I just made it up now." She spun around to grin at him. "But you know, my question from before still stands. Are you having fun?"

"You still have to ask?"

"Well, yeah. I mean, I just wanted to make you smile, and you turned it around and made it all about me again."

The way her mind worked was mystifying. "Maya, are you seriously claiming that after I held you down and tickled you, you think you were the only one enjoying it?"

"So, you mean…?"

"I had fun. I am having fun. I…am happy. My way of expressing it is just a little weak."

"Great!" She bobbed her head. "Say, want to go get something—"

"—to eat?" he finished along with her. "Very well, lead the way."


	8. The Early Bird (and Spirit Medium)

Chapter 8: The Early Bird (and Spirit Medium)

_Beep beep beep beep!_

Maya jumped out of bed and turned off the hotel alarm clock. It was the second day of the Steel Samurai Festival, and it was going to be amazing. Little Steel Samurai skits would be performed randomly throughout the day, as actors—both professionals and fans—found suitable places to delight whoever happened to be in the area. There would be music, food, more stuff to buy, and of course, the Samurai Dog eating contest.

She got ready for the day in record time. If she was traveling with regular people, she might have felt a little weird about having brought a suitcase full of purple kimonos, but since her companion was a guy who wore black every day of his life, it wasn't weird at all.

She stopped and stared at her reflection for a moment. She still felt like a kid at times, but the older Maya who looked back at her from the mirror seemed poised and mature, ready to approach any situation with calm elegance. Then she grinned, and the scary illusion shattered into the woman who just hoped the grass stains would come out of the kimono she'd worn the previous day. Maturity was no fun.

Besides, her Twisted Samurai seemed to like her the way she was.

She screwed up her face into a haughty frown. "'Oh, Mystic Maya, you must behave like a lady.'" Her imitation wasn't of any one single person, but more a combination of all the jerks who annoyed her with that nonsense over the years. "'Mystic Maya, don't do that. That's unbecoming of the Master.' 'Mystic Maya, you must have an heir,' 'Mystic Maya, you must think of the future,' 'Mystic Maya, you must act graceful and humble to attract a man.' Well, guess what?" She stuck out her tongue at her imaginary tormenter and dashed into the hall to wake up the man who was a thousand times better than anyone _they_ would have imagined for her, anyway.

The hallway was empty. Everyone else was probably still asleep. No contest for who would be first in line for everything, then.

She knocked on Simon's door.

Nothing.

Just in case it was some poor stranger she was bothering, she double-checked the room number. Yep, it was his all right. She hammered both of her fists against the wood.

The door opened and Simon gave her a bleary-eyed stare. "What's wrong…?"

People downstairs in the lobby probably heard her squeal. "You weren't joking!"

Sleepy Simon was cute enough, so casual with his hair loose and in a tangled mess, and the way a tiny patch of black chest hair peeked out of the top of his pajamas, but the pajamas themselves were the most alluring thing. Steel Samurai pajamas. Not exactly like hers, of course, but they were _Steel Samurai pajamas._

That was it, it was destiny. Two grown adults who both owned Steel Samurai pajamas were made for each other. On the other hand, maybe he bought them after their conversation, which was even cuter.

He rubbed his eyes. "Did you wake me up just to see what I was wearing?"

"No, I woke you up because it's time to be up. Come on, get dressed, get ready, and let's get out there."

"It's five o'clock in the morning…"

"Wrong!" She grinned and folded her hands in front of her. "It's 4:30."

"Perhaps this has escaped your keen perception, but the majority of the city is still asleep."

Good, he was awake enough to sound supercilious. "You know what they say: the early bird gets the worm, and the early spirit medium gets all the best food."

"Whoever 'they' are, I am confident they mean 'early' in the sense of 'when the food vendors are actually open.' Just what did you have in mind? Shall we wait outside so we're there the moment they arrive?"

"Yep!"

"At this point, I shouldn't even be surprised." He shook his head. "Give me a few minutes, and I'll be ready."

Of course he would. Because he was the best.

#

The competition looked weak and the Samurai Dogs smelled delicious. But even more importantly, a certain samurai smirked at her from the audience, empty seats all around him. Every time she met his gaze, he shouted about how she was the strongest warrior on this battlefield. Oh yeah, she was going to dominate the contest.

A man in a suit stepped up to the podium. "Are the contestants ready?"

Maya cheered along with the others sitting with her at the table.

"You have ten minutes. Each of you has been paired with an impartial judge who will count the number of Samurai Dogs you consume."

She glanced up at the huge man standing beside her. They probably chose him because he didn't seem bothered by Simon. Good. She was going to win the contest fair and square, not because she had a Twisted Samurai on her side.

"Get ready…"

She winked at Simon.

He glared at the other contestants. "You will all fall before the unwavering might of Maya Fey!"

"Get set…"

She leaned forward and stared at the first Samurai Dog on her plate.

"Go!"

And they were off.

Contrary to what some people thought, she could not just go crazy shoving Samurai Dogs in her mouth. Messy eating could take away points from her score or even disqualify her. Choking on a piece would definitely end her chances of victory. And rushing in the beginning could make even her feel sick by the end.

The secret to success, at least for her, was in having a nice, even pace. She didn't hurry, but she didn't slow, either. One delicious Samurai Dog after the next, each eaten as if in time to a drumbeat. Bite, chew, swallow, bite chew, swallow. Next one. Repeat.

She tuned out the voices shouting numbers all around her. She even tuned out the rather aggressive cheers from Simon. Bite, chew, swallow.

Some of those cheers made it through her concentration anyway, though.

"Do not let them intimidate you, Maya. You're the greatest of all of them."

If Nick were there, he'd probably pretend he didn't know her, or at least sit in quiet embarrassment. He wouldn't be roaring her praises from the audience. Simon, for all he seemed a little stiff in social interactions at first, was hardly what one would call restrained. She didn't dare look up. Admiration glowing in gray eyes was sure to distract her from her rhythm.

Bite, chew, swallow.

"1 minute remaining!"

"She will crush you all!"

The time for care was over. 60 seconds to gobble down as many more Samurai Dogs as she could. She munched with wild abandon, although she was careful not to cross the line that would get her in trouble.

"Ten seconds!"

Just one more Samurai Dog…

"Time!"

She swallowed her last mouthful and leaned back against her chair. Phew, she was stuffed. There weren't many days she could say that. And it was safe to look into the audience… Such a gentle fondness filled Simon's face, there was no doubt that despite all of his cheers and shouts, he wouldn't think any less of her if she lost.

In fact, maybe it would be better to lose. Sure, she wouldn't get the prize—a life-size Steel Samurai statue—but Simon might console her with a hug.

The judges all left and went up to the podium, where they consulted with the announcer for a moment. He nodded to them and returned to the microphone with a big grin on his face. "I'm pleased to announce that the Annual Steel Samurai Festival Samurai Dog Eating Contest has a new record-holder."

Her breath quickened and her legs felt tingly. The moment of truth.

"At 31 Samurai Dogs eaten, our new Samurai Dog Samurai is… Miss Maya Fey!"

She jumped up to cheers and one evil cackle of doom and ran to the podium to shake the announcer's hand and get her prize. The statue was bigger than she was, and heavy. She wrapped her arms around it and attempted to lift it. It came a couple inches off of the ground and then dropped. Scattered chuckles reached her from the crowd, but then arms wrapped around the statue and pulled it away from her.

Black hair with a streak of white poked around the side, and Simon smirked. "Samurai Dog Samurai or not, I fear you won't be winning any strength competitions today."

Jerk. She stuck her tongue out at him—then paused and ran to the podium. She grabbed the microphone away from the announcer. "I'd just like to thank Simon Blackquill for cheering me on and carrying my prize for me. He may look like the bogeyman, but he's actually a big softie."

"Silence!" Simon flicked his finger in that awesome samurai move of his, and the resulting slice knocked the microphone from her hands while she broke into uncontrollable laughter.

The audience, judges, announcer, and other contestants looked as though they weren't sure if they should laugh or run.

Maya rejoined Simon by the statue. "Ready to go?"

"Hmph. Bogeyman?"

"Is that worse than being called a big softie in public?"

He bent forward just enough to touch his forehead to hers. "That, I can defend against with a few sword strikes and threats. But how do I break through the description of myself as looking like the bogeyman?"

"You can't."

Hurt flashed across his face, and he withdrew.

"Because it was a complete lie." She braced herself against him to reach his cheek with her lips again. He hadn't complained about the first kiss, and it felt so good. Besides, if she got him used to it, one day she could _accidentally_ get his lips instead.

He pulled her against him. "A lie?"

Ooh, and she hadn't even lost the contest. A Twisted Samurai hug without a tragedy, she was doing something right.

"Of course. I mean, I've never seen the bogeyman, but if he was as handsome as you, people wouldn't be scared to see him."

"Flattery will get you nowhere. I'm hardly handsome."

"Hey, are you sure you want to stay at the festival?"

"What? Why?"

"We gotta get you to a doctor. If you don't think you're handsome, you might be going blind."

Simon snorted. "You've rendered me speechless."

"I win."

"Champion of two battles in less than half an hour. Shall we take your winnings back to the hotel?"

"Winnings, plural?" She bounced up and down. "What did I win for making you speechless?"

"One theoretically-handsome samurai will carry the statue the _entire_ way instead of handing it over to you partway there for his own amusement."

"Jerk."

He chuckled and lifted the statue into his arms. "And what are the rest of our plans for today?"

"Everything!"

"I beg your pardon?"

She grinned. "I hope you aren't too tired from this morning, Simon, because I intend to see and do everything at the festival."

"Do you never get tired?"

"A good diet is all it takes. In fact, one of the first things we should do is have lunch."

"Lunch? After all that?" He shook his head. "You are a mystery, Maya."

"Mystic Maya, the Mysterious Medium?" She tilted her head. "Well, since I'm already the Steel Samurai Festival Samurai Dog Samurai, why not?"

"As a prosecutor, I consider a mystery something to be solved."

"You're going to solve me?"

"I will endeavor to understand you." He let out a dramatic sigh. "If I achieve that, then perhaps someday—when they let me out the mental asylum—"

She smacked his arm. "Just carry the statue!"

He snickered the entire way to the car, and after a moment, she joined in. There was nowhere she would rather be than at the Steel Samurai Festival with Simon Blackquill.

#

After everything they did—and she was true to her plan and managed to visit every stand, store, and show—she was tired by the time they returned to the hotel for the evening. Too tired to even give much thought to the way Simon let her lean on him as they made their way to the elevator, like a tall, warm pillow that happened to walk.

She was too tired to think up good comparisons, too.

When she reached her room, she bid him a quiet goodnight, and barely managed to change into her pajamas before she collapsed on the bed. A good night's rest was in order after all, since the next day was the last day of the festival.

If only it was a four or five day event, instead of only three. It was so much fun. And it let her be close to Simon. Once it was over…she wouldn't be able to spend all day with him anymore. And maybe he'd get tired of her. Maybe he was already tired of her silliness and was just putting up with her. Maybe…

Her course of confused worries faded into a muddled, worried dream, until a sharp _crack_ cut through everything.

She sat bolt upright. Her heart pounded. Who was being murdered, or what disaster was striking to ruin the festival, or—oh. It was someone at the door.

Red glowing numbers informed her that it was 4:00 AM, so she'd slept for longer than she thought, but it was still too early for hotel staff or anyone else to be up and about disturbing guests. She rolled out of bed when the knocking persisted and stumbled to the peephole.

Simon stood in the hall, fully dressed with his coat on and everything.

She opened the door. "Simon?"

"Good morning!" His mouth twisted into a wicked smirk. "You know what they say: the early bird gets the worm, the early spirit medium gets all the best food, and the early samurai gets the last laugh. Not ready yet? We can't have that." He clapped his hands together. "Up! Up! No lounging about. Come on."

"You're so evil." She shut the door on him.

His laughter was audible even from the hall.

As tired as she was, she grinned. Apparently he wasn't annoyed with her silliness after all, if he intended to get revenge in a similar fashion. Well, more time spent with Simon was worth a few hours of lost sleep.

There was a shadow at the base of the door.

She threw it open and glared at her samurai. "You're not going to just stand there like a creeper while I get dressed, are you?"

"To be completely honest, I was waiting for you to tell me to get lost. I assume you're returning to sleep?"

"As if! You woke me up, so you have to deal with the consequences."

"Another day of fun and adventure?"

"You better believe it."

He grinned, and it didn't look any less sinister than it had before. Sinister was a good look for him, though. In fact, to her sleep-deprived eyes, he looked _very_ good. Good enough to drag into her room by his coat to kiss for a few hours until there was a chance a vendor at the festival would actually be open for business.

Almost against her will, her hands twitched forward and grabbed the front of his coat.

"Dare I ask what you're doing now?"

She froze and smoothed his coat instead. "You were disheveled."

"I beg your pardon?"

Running her hands along the front of him made her original plan even more enticing. "Gottagetready!" She slammed the door shut before she could do anything stupid.

Her fingers still trembled when she was ready to go.


	9. Fireworks

Chapter 9: Fireworks

It was the most crowded day yet.

The impromptu skits of the previous day were replaced by full-fledged stage shows every few hours, more stands were in place with memorabilia not seen at the auction, and Steel Samurai games and contests lined the side streets. So many people bustled along to see the sights, even Simon didn't have huge swathes of space around him.

More often than not, Maya ended up crushed against him by all the people around them. And when he was ahead of her, she could press close to his warm back regardless of the state of the crowd. It wasn't as if he ever looked back to check if she really needed to be that close.

Being with Simon made it enjoyable to be caught in a crowd, and that was only one of the many benefits.

"There it is!" She squeezed in next to him, grabbed his arm, and pulled him toward the stand in question.

_Could You Be the Steel Samurai?_ the sign above it demanded in bright, back-lit letters. Just beneath it, displayed against a backdrop of scenes from the show, was a rare Steel Samurai trading card, just one of the many rare cards that could be won as prizes. As for the game itself… it was a test of swordsmanship.

"Ah," Simon said, "have you decided to take up the sword?"

"What? No."

"Then I cannot fathom why we're here."

She glared at him, and he smirked. Ahead of them, another contestant entered the booth and picked up the practice sword. A line of targets sat in front of him, within a larger circle of targets around him. Contestants had five seconds to hit as many targets as they could, which would determine their score and prize.

Simon shook his head with a derisive snort as the young man took wild chops at the targets. "Pathetic."

"You're going to show them how it's done, huh?"

He shook his head again, but didn't move out of line. He _continued_ to shake his head as the people ahead of them tried to wield the sword with varying results. When one young woman nearly dropped it, his whole body tensed and he took a step forward, as if he wanted to snatch it out of her hands.

At last, they were at the front of the line.

The man running the stand looked like he'd never seen anyone quite like Simon there before. "Uh… Can I help you with something?"

"Yes, we're looking for directions to the library." He slammed his hand down. "We're here to participate, why else would we be in line?"

"Y-yes sir…"

The entry fee was $5. Simon paid and stepped into the booth with a glare for everyone in the immediate area. "It is painful to watch the way you amateurs disgrace the sword."

Maya shoved her knuckle against her mouth to keep from laughing.

He picked up the sword and closed his eyes. His stance was relaxed, but steady. She held her breath as the memories of his graceful performance for her flew through her mind.

"Go!"

Simon whirled, the blade extended to strike the circle of targets in a wide arc. As soon as his circle took him toward the interior line, however, his arm blurred into motion to strike back and forth and take out the line as well as that side of the circle.

He lowered the sword. All the targets were marked from his blows.

Two seconds remained on the clock.

Everyone, Maya included, stared at him with wide eyes and gaping mouths. The stand's proprietor recovered enough after a moment to speak. "C-congratulations, sir. We've never had anyone finish with time remaining. You've won first prize, but under the circumstances, I think we ought to throw in a bonus." He set an album on the stand. "Therefore, instead of the standard three trading cards awarded for first prize, you may choose five."

Simon beckoned to Maya, and she bounded to his side. "Very well, what shall I choose?"

Her heart leaped, but she reminded herself that it wasn't right to take advantage of him. "They're your prizes, Simon, not mine."

"As if I have any need for trading cards." He waved his hand at the album. "Five cards, Maya. All for you."

She blushed and looked through her options. There were so many special cards. At last, she picked five Ultra Rare Premium cards. She couldn't wait to show them to the other collectors she knew. And even if someone offered her a rarer card, she'd never trade any of these five. Not the cards won for her by her samurai.

As he walked away, she waited until they were in the thick of the crowd again and then pressed up against him.

"I know there's no one behind you," he said.

She blushed again and slowed her steps to put space between them. Just a tiny bit. If he didn't actually complain, there was no reason to go overboard.

#

"Is there any chance of Wright-dono actually wearing that?"

Maya looked down at the shirt she'd just bought for Nick. It was the same as the one she'd gotten for herself, except bigger. The Steel Samurai stood in a warrior's stance in the center, in front of the night sky. Text above and below the image proclaimed "I *heart* the Steel Samurai."

"Maybe he won't," she said, "but that's not the point. When you go to something like this, you buy souvenirs for your friends."

He glanced at his shopping bag, which contained only a hand-crafted katana sheath he'd bought for himself. "I suppose I should do the same."

Apparently he hadn't been shopping in a long time. After he wandered between vendors with a lost look in his eyes for a few minutes, Maya picked out a pendant for Pearly, paid for it, and took charge.

Under her guidance, they found another T-shirt for Athena, a Steel Samurai-themed teapot for Mr. Edgeworth that he would probably never show to anyone, and a mug vague enough to not represent any particular show for Aura. After careful consideration of the potential depression that could fall over the Wright Anything Agency if only some members got presents, they split the cost of gifts for Apollo and Trucy.

Then Maya handed over the tiniest Steel Samurai scarf she could find for Simon's appraisal. "What do you think?"

He furrowed his brow. "I fail to see the significance of this item."

She rolled her eyes. "Geez, Simon, you go away for a few days and forget your best friend? This is for Taka!"

"Oh. Then it is quite suitable." He touched her shoulder. "And…thank you for remembering."

"Don't be silly. I couldn't forget him."

Once Taka's scarf was paid for, they stood together at the side of the street as people passed them by.

"Let's get a couple more shirts," Maya said. "That way if you tell someone about the festival and they say, 'Oh wow, I wish I was there,' you can say, 'I brought back a souvenir for you,' and give them one of the reserve T-shirts."

Simon laughed, but agreed to the plan. As they bought them, something caught her eye. A book. She froze and tried to act natural, as if she hadn't seen it. Her mind and heart both raced.

"Anything else?" he asked.

"Just one thing." She grinned. "Wanna buy me a burger?"

"It never ends."

She swatted his arm. He caught her wrist, she batted his hand away, and they wound up in a playful scuffle that scared a few passers-by and got the attention of security. Although sparks remained in Simon's eyes, he separated from her before anyone could approach them, and hurried in the direction of the delicious burger smells.

Maya followed him until enough people were in the street that he could assume he'd momentarily lost her in the crowd, and then she doubled back to pick up that book. _Beyond the Steel Samurai: Ten Tales of Loyalty and Heroism._

A quick flip through the pages proved it to be just what it sounded like, a collection of stories about noble samurai. She bought it and hid it in her bag between her T-shirt and Nick's before she raced back toward the burger stand.

#

Another benefit of being with Simon was not having to settle for a lousy seat at the fireworks show. People scattered when they saw him coming—particularly when she pointed to a grassy hill certain to provide an excellent view and hinted about how much she wanted to sit there, and he marched toward it with a vicious glare for everyone in his path.

The night air was cool, but not unpleasant, and the sky was clear. Perfect weather for fireworks.

Simon scared away a handful of stragglers on the hill and then turned to her. "We're terrible people for doing this, you know."

She plopped down on the grass. It was soft and comfortable. Good, because it would have been terrible to go through all that and then need to find a different spot anyway. "Hey, if they're stupid enough to be scared of you…"

He shook his head and stood there for a moment before he awkwardly eased himself to the ground beside her. "We both know I'm provoking their fear."

"Glare at me like you glared at them."

"I beg your pardon?"

"Please?"

His eyes flashed, and he fixed her with a bone-chilling stare.

"See?" She scooted closer to him. "I'm not scared."

"The difference is you know I'm not going to hurt you. They don't."

"You want to find them and ask them to come back?"

"Of course not."

"Then stop complaining." She grinned at him. "Have a little fun, Simon, it won't kill you."

A loud _bang_ signaled the start of the fireworks, and she turned her attention to the sky. The festival outdid itself with the display. Some of the fireworks were Steel Samurai-themed, and others were not, but all of them were impressive. Blues, greens, reds, purples—every color was represented, and they formed a dazzling array of shapes and styles. If one lingered and sparkled, the next would be gone in a flash.

"I love fireworks," she said.

"Until tonight, I cannot recall the last time I saw them."

Three went up together at once, and she grinned and pointed at the shimmering cluster of sparks she liked the most. Simon smiled. A real smile. That had to be a good sign.

Her feet were sore from all the running around she'd done over the past three days, so she took off her shoes and set them on the ground. Quiet laughter from Simon as she wiggled her toes in the grass gave her the courage to move even closer and lean against his side. The laughter stopped, but he didn't move away.

Far from it.

Simon touched her shoulder, his hand a little hesitant, and then slid his arm around her.

Her whole body went weak and quivery. The fireworks were barely audible over the pounding of her heart, barely visible past his smile. His gray eyes, so often hard and cold, were soft enough to make it difficult to breathe. She leaned against him and tried to relax into his warmth.

She swallowed several times before she was able to speak. "Fireworks…" Her mouth was so dry. Rasping and croaking would just make him concerned, not interested. She swallowed again. "Fireworks sure are romantic, huh?"

His low chuckle made her heart pound even harder. "Explosions and loud noises are romantic?"

Either she was crazy, or she could feel every vibration as he spoke.

"Actually," he said, "now that I think about it, explosions and loud noises sound just about right for a date with Maya Fey."

Date. Did he mean…? Was he really saying…?

Her voice was shaky. "Fire and danger… sounds like a Simon Blackquill date to me."

"Then I suppose fireworks are perfectly suited to us."

Yes, it was happening, it was really, really happening. She rested her head against his shoulder. "You don't mind me using you as a pillow, do you?"

"Not at all."

"Your shoulder is quite nice." It sounded goofy even to her, but she still jumped away when Simon's laughter rang out just inches from her ear.

"Apologies. I didn't mean to startle you."

"Oh." She grinned up at him. "I thought maybe that was one of those horror movie moments."

"Indeed. That was entirely unintentional."

"Sure, sure, whatever you say."

"If I'm going to scare you intentionally, it will be more like"—he lunged and grabbed her by the shoulders—"this."

She shrieked, then started laughing.

"Hmph. More effective than I expected. You must learn to anticipate these things."

"Where's the fun in that?" She gave him a light shove and then snuggled close.

He put his arm around her again. "Fun? Perhaps I'm losing my touch."

She giggled. "Come on, now, behave. We're missing the show."

"Says the one who started this with absurd comments." His tone was light, and while he didn't exactly cuddle her, he began to stroke her arm.

She sighed in contentment and rested her head on his shoulder again. Better than any pillow.

More and more fireworks burst in the sky, with new patterns. They never seemed to slow. It was crazy. And her samurai was holding her. An amazing way to close out an amazing three days. What a great trip. A pity it was almost over. She didn't want it to end.

Except…

One part of the trip wouldn't end. If she'd doubted it before, she didn't anymore. The bond she shared with Simon was stronger than just a shared love of the Steel Samurai and a penchant for trouble.

The repeated movement of his fingers against her arm was very soothing. And he was so warm. And she was so tired.

She yawned and pressed herself a little closer against his soft black coat. If the show didn't end soon, she would have to call it a day. The trip had drained her. She blinked and struggled to focus on the fireworks. Maybe it was time to go back to the hotel and go to sleep. Time to tell Simon she was ready to leave.

Time to tell…

#

Maya's breathing deepened and her head slumped down a little further. Simon smiled down at the sleeping spirit medium. So her seemingly boundless energy had a limit after all. Asleep, she looked so calm. Not at all like someone who would drag him from place to place and stop to sample every piece of food at the festival.

He was careful to contain his laughter, lest he awaken her.

What a strange turn of events it was. When he went to the Wright Anything Agency that day to see Athena, he never dreamed he would end up…

End up…

Fey-dono sprang into his memory. _You do love Mystic Maya, don't you?_

After seven years of darkness, he never thought he would love. Not like that. He could love Taka, and Aura, and Athena, and the memory of Metis… but not love someone in the way the girl meant it when she asked. He'd sacrificed too much, _changed_ too much. He'd destroyed that part of his heart to make sure no one ever doubted that he was a killer.

He tried to watch the fireworks. The thoughts came anyway.

The final closure of the UR-1 case, his freedom, and the capture of the phantom—they lifted his chains. They allowed him to show compassion again. But they left him bowed under the pain of those years.

Maya made him laugh and smile and forget himself, caught him up in the enjoyment of a show meant for children. Her presence loosened something inside of him and allowed him to have innocent fun again.

Even so, too much of him remained the Twisted Samurai. He still liked to scare people, as she herself pointed out.

And she didn't mind.

"Do you really want this?" His whispered words went unheard, but he wouldn't have dared speak them if she were awake. "_Can_ you really want…me?"

Darkness lingered inside of him. Maybe there was something she hadn't seen yet, something that would frighten her away. He didn't want that. He didn't want to lose her, especially if they deepened their relationship beyond friendship.

She was interested. It was clear.

If he didn't risk losing her, he would lose the joy she'd brought to his life. Worse still, if he drove her away, pretended he didn't return her feelings, he would hurt her. Her happiness would fade into confused sadness, brought on by his actions.

No. Never. He would never hurt her.

Some things were worth a little risk.

He held her close and watched the rest of the fireworks while she slept in his arms, so content, so trusting. He was just a paranoid old fool.

Even the explosive grand finale of the fireworks show didn't awaken her, so he held her for a few moments in the silence as the gathered crowd drifted away. If only the night would never end.

But it had to, and they couldn't spend all of it on a hill. They had a long drive home ahead of them. "Maya." He nudged her. "It's time to go back to the hotel."

A soft snore was the only answer.

"Let me guess. You're going to make up for how active you were before with a dead slumber now." He gave her a gentle shake. "Wake up, Maya."

Her words came out in a mumbled, slurred stream. "Go away, Pearly, whatever it is, they can handle it themselves." She buried her head against his chest.

If she thought he was Fey-dono, she was definitely out of it. He shook his head and retrieved her shoes from the grass. Her bare feet, however, suggested a delightful option. He smirked as he ran his fingers along her soles and imagined how she'd yell at him.

She squirmed and murmured in apparent enjoyment of her tickling dream.

He gave up.

Once he got her shoes back onto her feet, he scooped her into his arms and headed to the car. Her eyes fluttered open when he buckled her into the passenger's seat, but she was asleep again in seconds.

At the hotel, he regarded her for a few moments before he picked her up. He could wake her up if he shouted or otherwise jarred her out of sleep, but she seemed so happy. It was no trouble to carry her. The way she curled up in his arms and pressed her head against him was wonderful, too. He would carry her every night if she wanted him to. Every night of her life, wherever she wanted to go. He'd even carry her when she was awake, if it was what she wanted.

Oh yes, he was definitely going nuts.

The hotel clerk on duty was the one they'd interacted with the most over the past three days, thank goodness. A stranger afflicted with the common Twisted Samurai-induced fear might panic at the sight of him carrying her in. This clerk just waved with a slight smile.

When Simon reached their rooms, he stopped and stared at the doors. That was a problem. Maya probably wouldn't thank him if she woke up on his couch instead of a comfortable bed. He could sleep on the couch and put her in his bed, but it would still be a little uncomfortable to share the room with her, especially after the development in their relationship.

All he had to do was take her into her room. He knew where she kept the key, from the times he'd seen her unlock the door.

Aware he would look like a complete creep if anyone happened to enter the hallway, he slipped his hand into the pocket of her kimono and pulled out her key. With Maya held securely against him, he opened the door and carried her inside.

He dropped the key on the bedside table and set her down on the bed. He took off her shoes, pulled back the cover, and tucked her in.

"Good night, Maya."

A warm glow filled him as he smiled down at her. It stayed with him as he left her room and went to his own, and it carried him off into a truly peaceful sleep for the first time in years.


	10. Together

Chapter 10: Together

Maya woke with a mingled sense of disappointment and happiness. Disappointment because the trip was over and they would be on their way home before long. Happiness because her dreams had been filled with the memory of Simon holding her close as they watched the fireworks, and her sleep was a sound one, if disrupted by other, stranger dreams.

Her pillow was so soft and fluffy. Strange, really. She had a vague memory of it being thinner, a little more difficult to find a comfortable spot for her head. Oddly shaped, too. Like maybe—

Oh no. Her eyes snapped open.

Like maybe she'd been sleeping on a samurai instead of a pillow.

She groaned. And then there was that weird moment where she dreamed Pearly was trying to wake her—but Pearly was back in Kurain Village and her voice was too deep. One thing her sleep-fogged memories did _not_ contain was any point where she woke up and became cooperative.

Poor Simon. Not only did she fail to tell him she needed to go back to the hotel to sleep, but she fell asleep against him and didn't wake up.

She sat up and stretched, and then her gaze fell on the clock.

10:00. 10:00 in the morning.

She jumped out of bed. They didn't exactly have a time set for when they would go home, but it probably would have been earlier than that. On top of everything else, she'd overslept. Simon had to be so annoyed.

It wasn't fair he didn't wake her, though. He couldn't be that irritated just because he had to drag her back to the hotel at night, could he? Not after how close they were the night before.

She grabbed the phone and dialed the number for his room.

"Hello?"

"Simon?"

"I see you've finally rejoined the waking world."

"I'm so sorry!"

"What are you apologizing for?"

"I fell asleep and didn't wake up when you tried to wake me up, and then I overslept and you had to wait here all this time. I'm sorry…"

There was a long silence on the other end of the phone.

She felt like she might cry. "I hope I wasn't too much of a burden…"

"Wait there." _Click._

"Huh?" She stared at the dead receiver, until there was a knock at the door. She ran to it, paused only long enough to make sure it was him and not someone from the hotel staff or a stranger, and flung it open. "Simon!"

He closed the door behind him and put his hands on her shoulders. "What in tarnation were you jabbering about?"

"I…" She lowered her gaze.

"Believe it or not, I doubt you fell asleep just to spite me." He gathered her close into a warm embrace. "In fact, I was quite honored that you trusted me so much."

Something else surfaced from her memories. A vague awareness of him, even if her conscious mind was too deep in sleep to understand, and with it, a sense of security. Sort of like what his latest hug promoted. She relaxed and smiled up at him.

He smirked. "I admit to being amused when you slept through my tickling."

The bottoms of her feet tingled. "That was you! I thought it was a dream."

"You also thought I was Fey-dono, at one point." He chuckled. "And I never meant to cause you so much distress this morning. There is no rush. I assumed it was better to let you sleep as long as you wanted."

Oh. He'd done it to be nice. She blushed. "I'm sorry I got so upset. I just…"

"Yes?" His gaze was very intent.

"I just don't want to lose you."

He squeezed her even tighter. "You will have to try very hard to lose me, Maya, I assure you."

She hugged him back as hard as she could. "Are we going to leave now, then?"

"Before breakfast?"

"You haven't eaten?"

"_You_ haven't eaten." He ran his fingers through her hair, which sent shivers down her spine. "Allow me to treat you to a feast, in exchange for taking me on such a wonderful trip."

That wasn't quite a fair exchange, since he'd been doing things for her all trip long. On the other hand, every word rang with sincerity, and it would just be silly to turn down breakfast for no reason.

She grinned. "In that case, how about some breakfast burgers?"

#

For the ride home, Maya ended up in the back, as the only way they could fit her Steel Samurai statue in the car was to lower the passenger seat so the statue could lie from the front of the car to the back. Her precious VHS tape was safely in the glove compartment with her trading cards and Simon's photo, and all the other items and gifts they bought were in the trunk.

The back seat had two major downsides. First, the window controls were the only buttons within her reach. Second, all she could see of Simon was the back of his head and glimpses of his eyes in the rearview mirror.

But even if she didn't have a good view, it was pleasant just to be near him. So it wasn't all bad.

They drove in comfortable silence until they reached the halfway point of the trip and the same fast food restaurant they'd used as a rest stop on the way there came into view. In all the excitement of the festival, she'd forgotten about the incident. From the low growl Simon uttered, he'd forgotten to find a different place to stop, too.

"It's okay," she said. "We can stop here, I don't mind."

He nodded and pulled into the parking lot, but the moment the car was stopped, he turned to her.

Oh boy, it was going to be one of those _don't touch anything_ speeches.

"If you feel the need to break something, kindly wait until I am out of line." He got out of the car and opened her door.

A grin spread across her face. Not only didn't he criticize her behavior like she expected, his words implied that he was going to buy more food—and it was probably for her, since he didn't seem overly thrilled with fast food. "You're the best."

When she stepped out of the car, she held out her hand. Most likely he wouldn't notice, or if he did, he wouldn't understand or agree with what she—

His fingers interlocked with hers, and he set off toward the building.

They entered hand-in-hand, and it was almost painful to separate from him to enter the restroom. Maybe it was a trick. After all, it was much more effective than a lecture would have been—when she finished, she had little desire to waste any time, because that would make a longer gap before she got to hold his hand again.

He was in line, and she shifted from foot to foot as she waited. The room was oddly quiet, and she had the distinct feeling people were watching her. Maybe they were waiting for another disaster.

"Hey."

She jumped. From the line, Simon looked over sharply.

But she'd never seen the gray-haired man standing in front of her before. "I recognize you from the other day. I'm the manager here."

"O-oh?"

"I just wanted to apologize for the behavior of my former employee."

"Oh, thank—wait, former?"

"Some of the patrons told me what happened." He folded his hands. "Maybe what you did was wrong, but it was just a mistake, and even if it wasn't, he shouldn't have hurt you over it."

She stared at him in shock. "Wow, thanks…"

A warm presence by her side marked the return of Simon.

"And you," the manager said, "have become a hero to some of our regular patrons, for coming to the young lady's aid. Can we put your picture on the wall?"

Simon reeled backward. "W-whaaat?"

"Oh, yeah!" Maya clapped her hands together and nodded. "Simon Blackquill, guardian of the burgers. When you need a hero, the Twisted Samurai is there!"

"Twisted Samurai?" The manager blinked several times. "We've been looking for a theme to set us apart from the rest of the chain. A samurai theme… now that sounds very interesting. And I don't think anyone's ever done a _twisted_ samurai theme before."

"He's the best samurai you'll ever meet, too."

"Maya—"

"He hunts down spies and sacrifices himself for the people he loves, taking on a new ident—"

"_Silence._" Simon put his hand over her mouth and muffled the rest of her excited description. "I would prefer not to have my picture on your wall." He narrowed his eyes. "If you don't like that, it might be _you_ hanging on the wall."

"Oh, that's perfect."

"…I beg your pardon?"

The man lifted his eyes toward the ceiling and raised his hands. "The perfect motto for our new Twisted Samurai Burgers: 'If you don't like them, it might be you hanging on the wall.'"

"Perhaps you should re-hire your old employee and try an asylum theme. It shouldn't take much effort." Simon released Maya. "I think we had best be on our way."

"I know!" He snapped his fingers. "Okay, you don't want your picture on the wall, but maybe we could interview you to get some catchy lines."

"Oooh…" Maya jumped up and down. "Apollo was right, we _are_ going to be on the news!"

Simon turned around and walked toward the exit at an alarming pace.

"Sorry." She shrugged to the crestfallen manager. "I guess he's not ready to be a star just yet." She winked. "I'll bring him back sometime, and maybe he'll be more agreeable."

Then she ran out into the parking lot after him and caught him in time for a quick hug before they got back into the car.

#

Pearly met them the moment they drove up to Kurain Village. "Mystic Maya!"

Maya waved through the window, but her heart sank at the same time. She was happy to be home, but… once they got everything unloaded, Simon would leave. If Pearly saw her with a frown, though, she'd probably think something bad happened between the two of them, so she focused on the memories of the trip and put a bright smile on her face.

As usual, Simon got out of the car first and opened her door before she could. Her smile was a little less forced when she took his arm and stepped close to his side. It was worth it just to see the wide-eyed delight on Pearly's face.

"Mystic Maya, Mr. Simon… did you have a good time?"

"We certainly did." Either he also wanted to make her smile, or he was feeling cuddly, because he slipped his arm around Maya's waist. "We shall tell you all about it in due time, and I believe Mystic Maya has a souvenir for you, as well."

Getting everything into the house was an adventure of its own, and getting the Steel Samurai statue out of the car proved more difficult than putting it in.

But at last, Maya found herself standing alone with Simon as he lifted the statue into the corner of the room. It was hard to believe it wasn't that long ago he'd sat right there eating a square omelet.

That was about it, then. Rather than drive around all day long, they'd agreed to meet up the next day to take souvenirs to the Wright Anything Agency, although Simon would take care of the Prosecutor's Office without her. A lump formed in her throat.

"There you have it." He turned to face her. "It fits the décor nicely. You—" He frowned, and then closed the door to the outside before taking a step closer. "I can tell by your face that something is wrong."

"I'll miss you!"

He folded his arms. "We are seeing each other tomorrow, are we not?" He smirked. "And I expect to be graced with a visit by you and that VHS you now own."

"Yeah…" She shrugged. "But after three days of you being right there… and now we'll be so far apart except when I visit Nick…"

"Kurain Village is not so far away that I am incapable of coming here."

"Really?"

"Unless my presence is not desired…"

"No, no, I want you to visit!"

He grinned. It enticed her just as much as it had the other morning. Not just the result of sleep deprivation, then. She swallowed.

"I suppose I should be on my way," he said. "I daresay you were right about one thing—I have missed Taka." He shifted from foot to foot, more awkward then she'd ever seen him, and took a step toward the door.

"Simon."

He spun to face her. "Yes?"

"Before you go… I bought a gift for you at the festival."

His eyes widened. "For me?"

"Yeah." She retrieved the book from the T-shirt bag, but hesitated when she saw his stricken expression. "Hey, gifts are good things, you know."

"But I…failed to buy anything for you."

"Oh, don't start. You bought me lots of stuff while we were there. Too much."

"Nothing is too much for you." The deep rumble of his voice caressed her, and the adoration in his eyes sent fire coursing to both her stomach and cheeks.

"Uh, here." Not the best delivery ever, but she was lucky she didn't fall down as she handed the samurai book to him. She wet her lips, suddenly afraid that, for whatever reason, he wouldn't like it.

"Thank you." He smiled as he read the title, and her worries vanished. "Perhaps I'll save it to read out loud to you, since you have such a love of samurai."

"I-I'd like that! Which reminds me…" She swallowed. Her knees were wobbly, but it was too late to stop. She might never get such a good opportunity again if she didn't take it. "I… uh…"

"Yes?"

"I have a question. About samurai."

"Consider me your expert." He bowed. "What is it?"

All she had to do was say it. Once it was said, the situation would be in his hands. Nothing to it. She took a deep breath. "How does a samurai kiss?"

His eyes widened, but before her nervousness could explode into panic, he smirked. It was a slow, wicked smirk. He set down the book and moved toward her, and when he spoke, his voice was low. "With great intensity"—each step further closed the distance between them, until he could reach up and run his thumb along her cheek—"based on the worth of the one being kissed."

Shivers ran through her even as heat blossomed beneath his touch and spread across her body. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't think. And that was bad, because he remained just inches away, as if waiting for some sort of cue from her. What did he expect her to do?

Well she had to do _something_, or he wouldn't do anything. "I… I can see it in your eyes, Simon. I know you've been just too shy to ask what it's like to kiss a spirit medium!"

She stood on her tiptoes and placed a quick kiss on his lips, then yanked her head back. No, no, the plan was for him to make the first move. The back of her head hit his palm, and he cradled her head as he leaned forward to return her kiss. It was as fleeting as hers had been, if open-mouthed and bit more demanding, and when he pulled back, there was a question in his eyes.

_Think before you talk, Maya. Don't say anything stupid._

But her mouth was a few steps ahead of her brain, and to her horror, she heard herself blurt, "Hey Simon, you taste better than burgers!"

He cracked up.

She groaned. There she went and ruined it, right when she finally got a kiss. Of all the stupid—

"Maya… That has to be one of the least romantic things you could possibly have said." He pulled her against him. "And I wouldn't have you any other way."

Then he kissed her again.

And apparently he found her very worthy indeed.

#

For a moment, Simon worried he'd misread her—and that he was too aggressive as a result. Before his concern could cool his passion, however, Maya shoved her tongue into his mouth with all the finesse of someone who wasn't sure if she was involved in a kiss or a duel.

He would certainly tease her for it, if he cared enough to break away. He couldn't say that he did.

And he intended to win that duel.

She responded to his attempt to dominate her mouth by wrapping her arms around him and pressing herself closer. Her fingers dug into his back, almost hard enough to cause pain. Far from a deterrent, it made him hungrier for her. He tangled his hands in her hair and lost himself.

The _snick_ of the door was just a mild annoyance, not worth his attention when Maya was in his arms, but the soft gasp from behind him cut through his haze of pleasure.

He broke off the kiss. Fey-dono stood at the door, her eyes wide and her mouth open. She looked torn between delight and embarrassment, but then she turned and fled with the beginnings of tears in her eyes.

"Pearly?"

She didn't return in response to Maya's call, and Simon exchanged a glance with her. "Perhaps while we were gone, she decided I was not good enough for you."

"_What_?" Maya clenched her hands into fists.

"That was only a guess on my part." He gave her a quick kiss—oh, it felt good to be able to do that—and started for the door. "I'll see what is bothering her."

It wasn't hard to find her. The young woman sat in the grass just a few yards away, her face in her hands. Although she was quiet about it, she was definitely crying.

"Fey-dono?"

She stiffened.

He crouched beside her. "Out with it."

She lifted her head and blinked up at him. "What?"

"In what way have I failed your test, to cause you such distress upon seeing me with Mystic Maya?"

"N-no, it's nothing like that…" Her shoulders sagged. "You two just looked so happy together… but… you're going to leave her someday, aren't you?"

Even the awkward marriage conversation was a preferable topic. And the anger she'd once displayed toward him would have been much easier to handle than the quiet despair in her voice.

Someday, when they were far from Kurain, he would ask Maya to explain what happened in Fey-dono's family.

"Fey-dono." He needed to be gentle with her. "I cannot see into the future. I cannot guarantee that this will work out. Sometimes, relationships just don't. But if you believe for one minute that I will simply abandon that wonderful woman on some sort of whim, _you have taken leave of your senses_."

Gentleness wasn't one of his strong suits.

Her eyes widened.

"I suppose you would prefer to say she is my special someone."

"Mr. Simon…? Do you love her?"

Trapped in Fey-dono's desperate stare, he couldn't escape without a real answer, both to her and to himself. She didn't realize what a difficult question it was. "I…"

Maya's laugh rang through his mind. He remembered her enthusiasm when she got her Steel Samurai DVDs. Her absurd bout of singing in the pizzeria. The "Twisted Samuraimobile." Dozens of red balls raining down from the broken machine. The auction. The Samurai Dogs. The fireworks. Her bright smile and unrelenting stream of peculiar comments. The way she fell asleep in his arms, and her warmth as he touched her, held her, kissed her.

Perhaps it wasn't such a difficult question after all.

"Yes."

Fey-dono squealed in delight and jumped to her feet. "I'm so happy for both of you!" She took off in the direction of Maya's house.

He waited a moment and then followed at a slower pace, in case she intended to have some private conversation he was not to interrupt. When he reached the house, he stopped and peered through the door.

She squealed again when she saw him, gave Maya a hug, and then hurried outside. "If you two want to be alone, I understand." She all but shoved him into the room and shut the door.

He chuckled. "Well, we dare not disappoint her."

Maya stared at the door. "What did you _tell_ her? She might be out looking for a preacher right now!"

He swept her into his arms and kissed her. "I merely explained that I have no intention of abandoning you."

After a few moments of kissing, she murmured against his lips, "Hey, you know what?"

"Hmm?"

"You should stay a while."

He grinned and kissed her again. "I intend to."

"Great!" She wiggled free of his arms. "Then we can watch that tape!"

"Well, yes, I suppose we could…"

She bounced on her heels. "And you know what would go really well with the Steel Samurai?"

Kissing. But of course that wasn't the answer. He snorted. "Burgers?"

"Please?"

He gave her a gentle kiss. "Have I ever said no?"

She grinned and wrapped her arms around him. "Now that I think about it, you haven't."

And he never would.

* * *

_Author's note: And so, we've reached the limit of my romance skills, and the end of the story. I had so much fun writing this one (although maybe I say that about all my stories). Enough people have hinted or outright said they want a sequel, or just suggested additional story elements, that I'm considering it, although I have no sequel plot in mind yet. Thanks for being a wonderful audience!_


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